Israel Matzav

Of course: US, EU, UN rip Israel over construction

You knew this was coming: The US, EU and UN are ripping Israel over plans to build in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

The United States and European Union both expressed concern and disappointment on Wednesday at Israel's decision to accelerate settlement building in response to the Palestinians' acceptance to UNESCO.

The White House said it was "deeply disappointed" with Israel's speeding up of settlement building. White House spokesman Jay Carney told a briefing that the move did not advance the goal of bridging differences between Israelis and the Palestinians.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton joined the US in condemning Israel's settlement plan on Wednesday, saying that she was "deeply concerned by the latest Israeli decisions to expedite settlement activities in response to Palestinian accession to UNESCO."

Ashton joined other European leaders in asserting that the plan to accelerate building in settlements serves as an impediment to getting Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

"Israeli settlement activity is illegal under international law including in east Jerusalem and an obstacle to peace. We have stated this many times before. We call on Israel to reverse this decision and call on both sides to continue their engagement with the Quartet on advancing peace efforts," Ashton stated.

Stating that it's illegal doesn't make it illegal. In fact, it's not. And how does Ashton think we are supposed to respond to the 'Palestinians' unilateral moves? By waiting for them to come around? By making more concessions? That's not going to get them back to the table with anything meaningful to discuss.

There's more here.

But how about this irony alert by the Washington Post's Jackson Diehl (Hat Tip: Soccer Dad).

Two of the three settlements where #Israel accelerating construction were conceded to Israel by Abbas in 2008 talks with Olmert.

The third one is Har Homa, which is also in the Jerusalem city limits.

Labels: Har Homa, Jerusalem construction, Judea and Samaria construction

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:36 AM