PA: New settlements could derail talks

Ma'an
Israel's plan to build 1,600 new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem is "dangerous" and has the potential to thwart US efforts to restart peace talks, the Office of the President said Tuesday.

The Israeli Interior Ministry's announcement came one day after it approved 112 housing units in the Betar Illit settlement in Bethlehem.

Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh issued a stern response to the move, which came a day after US envoy George Mitchell arrived in the region, saying it could "derail negotiations and ensure the failure of US efforts before they begin."

Abu Rudeineh added: "It is now apparent that the Israeli government does not want negotiations, nor does it want peace. The American administration must respond to this provocation with effective measures."

He said moving forward would "no longer be tolerable" after "these provocations" absent action from the US. "Without real and effective American pressure, adopting a position that would make Israel stop these actions, they will destroy the peace process."

The White House also condemned the move, spokesman Robert Gibbs said hours after the announcement. US Vice President Joe Biden, in Israel since Monday, was expected to make a statement, as well.

The Israeli Interior Ministry defended the announcement's timing, insisting it was not deliberate.

"The Jerusalem District Planning Committee ... approved a plan which has been in the works for over three years. This is a procedural stage in the framework of a long process that will yet continue for some time," the ministry said in a statement.

A meeting that approved the construction "was determined in advance and there is no connection to US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel. Interior Minister Eli Yishai updated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the foregoing earlier this evening," it concluded.

Saeb Erekat, the chief PLO negotiator, expressed reservations on the recently announced indirect negotiations, long sought since US President Barack Obama took office.

"President [Mahmoud] Abbas wants certain answers to some inquiries he submitted to US Middle East envoy George Mitchell before indirect talks can start," Erekat told reporters in Jericho.

"The required answers are about the Israeli government's approval of more residential units in settlements and home demolitions. We expect answers within the coming days," he added.

Erekat said the proposed indirect negotiations, expected to begin in days, would be futile if the borders of the future Palestinian state were not agreed upon in advance. Border proposals must include all the Palestinian territories occupied on 4 June 1967, he added.

The top PLO official stressed that "indirect talks shouldn't be traditional, with the US mediator shuttling between two rooms designated for the negotiation teams ... We want a practical negotiations process, where each negotiating team can hold consultations.

"The process may involve two separate delegations, invited to Washington separately, to discuss each issue in order to bridge the gap and thus both sides start direct negotiations."

Erekat suggested that Mitchell affirm that the Palestinian state will include all the territories occupied on 4 June 1967, and that in the event territories were to be exchanged, it would be on an equal basis.

Furthermore, Netanyahu's government should demonstrate its commitment to negotiations by halting settlement activities, stopping the daily detentions of Palestinians, and freezing construction on the separation wall, he said.

"If these activities continue, Israel will be foiling the US proposal and international efforts," Erekat insisted.  Full story