Israeli soldiers try to extinguish a fire in a field allegedly set on fire by Israelis from the settlement of Yitshar, close to the village of Asera, near the West Bank City of Nablus, yesterday.
RAMALLAH: Israeli plans for 1,000 new settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem are “destroying” efforts by Washington’s top diplomat to revive the peace process, a Palestinian official charged yesterday.
The United States also warned that such a plan would run counter to efforts to reach a peace deal. But Israel said the construction plans were not new and accused the Palestinians of seeking a pretext to avoid a resumption of direct talks which broke down in 2010 and which US Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to revive.
“We consider the recent decision of the Israeli government to build a thousand homes in east Jerusalem as effectively destroying the efforts of Kerry,” top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said. His remarks came just hours after an NGO said Israel was preparing to build more than 1,000 settler homes in east Jerusalem despite a major push by Washington to revive dormant peace talks.
The US State Department called the move “counterproductive”. “Israelis must recognise that continued settlement activity and new housing construction in East Jerusalem is counterproductive to the cause of peace,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
AFP
