Israel mulls new east Jerusalem settlement

Israel said on Wednesday it was examining a plan to construct a new Jewish settlement in occupied east Jerusalem, weeks after sparking world criticism for expanding another neighbourhood in the city. “This is a preliminary examination of an initial construction plan. Such feasibility checks are done all year round on all areas with building potential in Jerusalem,” Housing Minister Zeev Boim said in a statement. “The Ministry has to offer a solution to the housing problem in Jerusalem.” The statement was issued in response to a report in the Haaretz daily that said Boim, a member of PM Ehud Olmert’s centrist Kadima party, had approved a construction plan in the neighbourhood of Atarot. According to the Haaretz, the plan being examined would see the construction of more than 10,000 apartments - making it the largest Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hope to make the capital of their promised future state. Israel captured and annexed Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later declared the holy city its “eternal, undivided” capital - moves not recognised by the international community. The area of Atarot lies some five kilometres north of the Green Line between the Palestinian villages of Ram and Bir Nabala. Although it is within the Jerusalem municipal boundaries established by Israel, the Palestinians consider the area part of the occupied West Bank. Two weeks ago, Israel invited bids for more than 300 new housing units in another settlement of occupied and annexed east Jerusalem, known as Har Homa to Israelis and as Jebel Abu Ghneim to Palestinians. The expansion came a week after Israelis and Palestinians revived peace talks at a conference in the US city of Annapolis and sparked criticism from Palestinians, the United States and the European Union. At the conference, both Israel and Palestinians pledged to abide by the 2003 international roadmap peace blueprint, the first phase of which calls on Israel to halt settlement activity and on Palestinians to improve security. Israel does not consider construction in east Jerusalem as settlement activity because of its annexation of the city. However, the international community considers all settlements in occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank illegal. Prior to the Annapolis conference, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged to freeze construction of new settlements in the West Bank and to dismantle outposts - settlements not authorised by the government. But he said so-called “natural growth” of existing settlements would go on. Palestinians have demanded that Israel halt all settlement activity.