EU's Ashton: East Jerusalem housing projects threaten two-state solution

[News_Editor]

EU's Ashton: East Jerusalem housing projects threaten two-state solution

2011-08-13 03:20:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union's (EU) Catherine Ashton on Friday expressed deep regret and called on Israel to end its settlement activity after Israel on Wednesday approved 1,600 new apartments in northeastern Jerusalem.

"It is with deep regret that, once again, I received information of the publicly stated intention of the Israeli government to continue settlement expansion in East Jerusalem," said Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission.

Ashton underlined that the EU has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001.

However, on Wednesday night, Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai approved the construction of 1,600 new apartments in the Ramat Shlomo haredi neighborhood, located in northeastern Jerusalem. Furthermore, the ministry is expected to approve two more construction projects in eastern Jerusalem next week of more than 2,500 new housing units.

"Settlement activity threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution and undermines ongoing efforts to resume negotiations," Ashton added.

On Thursday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry noted that the Quartet - the diplomatic group comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States that seeks a peace based on two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side - already condemned the plan when its initial planning stage was announced last year.

"If confirmed, this provocative action undermines ongoing efforts by the international community to bring the parties back to negotiations," Serry stated.

In 1967, East Jerusalem was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War, when it also occupied the West Bank and Gaza, which the Palestinians seek as constituent parts of their State. Palestinians, meanwhile, have expressed their desire of making East Jerusalem the capital of their future State.

Last week, Israel also announced that a separate housing project was approved in which 900 additional units would be built in another settlement in East Jerusalem.

Israel's refusal last September to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory prompted the Palestinians to withdraw from direct talks with the Israelis. Despite repeated calls by the international community to resume negotiations, the peace process has been in a deadlock since then.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-13

[Steely Dan]

Here the E.U are demonstrating the same old mistake western liberals make due to maybe their post colonial guilt. There can never be a two state solution for Islam (and it is Islam as a whole that decides this) regardless of whether any Palestinian leader agreed to it or not. Israeli settlement building only threatens a mirage seen by many western leaders. Here is a good article explaining this.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/08/palestinian_statehood_conquest_disguised_as_liberation.html

[Ulysses G.]

This September, what the Arab world could not win in war, and would not accept in peace, it will ask the United Nations to give to it through a non-binding resolution, proving in a surreal twist on Von Clauswitz, that politics is in fact the continuation of war by other means.

Good article. Ashton is delusional.

[chuckd]

The EU representative is not the only one who's voice is shrill, yet misdirected, in the Middle East. Here is the latest from the Arab League concerning their obsession with Israel and their silence on other pressing matters.

_______________________________________________________

Palestinians Under Fire in Syria, but Arab League Condemns Israel

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

By Patrick Goodenough

(CNSNews.com) – The Arab League on Monday slammed Israel for various activities in Jerusalem purportedly harmful to Palestinian aspirations, and it also announced an “emergency meeting” would take place in Qatar next week to discuss Palestinian plans to seek U.N. recognition in September.

The article says in part...

"The 66 -ear-old Arab League sometimes has been accused of being less interested in Palestinians’ actual well-being than in using them as a political tool against Israel.

Its focus Monday was on Jerusalem, and specifically on Israeli plans to build 1,600 homes in Ramat Shlomo, a Jewish neighborhood in a part of the city which the Palestinians want for the capital of a future state."

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/palestinians-under-fire-syria-arab-leagu

[pkspeaker]

good no 2 state solution when 1 of these states is actually disconnected bantustans where Palestinians are confined to appox. 10% of the country and don't have any rights, like the right to vote in general elections..This is the '2 state solution' basis that Israel is willing to negotiate. Instead just create a one state israel-palestine where everyone has equal rights like every other country in the world.

I love this logic that there's this scarry 'islam' that gives israel an excuse to be this KuKluxKlan type thing.. like israel can't just moderate it's politics and outdated political system and expect the people they have been repressing to moderate their views..because this un-human 'islam' won't have it; and will insist on this 'islamo-facist' state.. I guess the meaning of an islamo-facist state in Palestine is one that would be the opposite of what the situation is now-like now the Jews will been confined to the poverty striken bantustans and refugee camps and the Palestinians will steal those settlements that they built (with mostly palestinian cheap labor and american money) ..

Like it has to be one way or the other; you can't just have a normal country their because the bible syay that god wants this particular monotheistic religious group to 'own' the land and not the other monotheists ; i guess Buddhists or Hindu's are definitely not welcome there..

Is it possible that the protests in tahir square and the 250,000 people protesting in israel is a sign that people in the region are starting to reject religious extremism and the demogoging of this type 'americant...liberation.html' btw I won't even click that link and read that trash.. I can't even see the full name but i already suspect it's something of that type..

[samurai]

Here the E.U are demonstrating the same old mistake western liberals make due to maybe their post colonial guilt. There can never be a two state solution for Islam (and it is Islam as a whole that decides this) regardless of whether any Palestinian leader agreed to it or not. Israeli settlement building only threatens a mirage seen by many western leaders. Here is a good article explaining this.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/08/palestinian_statehood_conquest_disguised_as_liberation.html

the western liberals are to blame?

Is that one of Breiviks bookmarks?

[Ulysses G.]

good no 2 state solution when 1 of these states is actually disconnected bantustans where Palestinians are confined to appox. 10% of the country and don't have any rightsg of that type

They were offered citizenship and refused in 1948 and have been fighting ever since. No country in the world would give them "rights" as long as the terrorism continues.

[Scott]

One off-topic post removed.