"Israel" to Add to Al-Quds Settlements

Source: alalam.ir, 13-02-2008
AL-QUDS -The "Israeli" occupying regime has announced plans to build more than 1,100 homes in occupied east Al-Quds, infuriating the Palestinians and triggering a new crisis in already troubled fence-mending talks.
Palestinian officials accused the occupying regime of undermining efforts to reach a peace agreement by the end of the year and urged a halt to the project.
The fate of east Al-Quds is the thorniest issue in the talk as both sides claim it is the capital of their future state.
"Israeli" regime occupied the area in the 1967 Middle East war, later annexing it and building a string of neighborhoods that are now home to 180,000 Zionists.
The annexation was ruled illegal by the international community.
The Zionist regime expects to retain neighborhoods in east Al-Quds under a peace deal, but the Palestinians see construction there as threatening a final agreement.
The regime's housing minister, Zeev Boim, announced the latest construction plans in response to assertions from Al-Quds' city manager that Olmert was holding up work in the city.
Boim said a partial building freeze ordered recently applied only to settlements in the West Bank and not Al-Quds.
He said plans were under way to build 370 homes in Abu Ghneim, known as Har Homa to "Israelis", and 750 apartments in Pisgat Zeev, two illegally constructed neighborhoods in east Al-Quds.
"Israel" disclosed a similar plan in December to build some 300 homes in Abu Ghneim.
The announcement came days after resumption of talks with Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas at a US-hosted summit in Annapolis, Md.
That plan drew US criticism and stalled the talks for weeks.
At the Annapolis summit, Olmert and Abbas set a December 2008 target for reaching a final peace accord.
On Tuesday, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the latest construction threatens chances of meeting that goal.
"We condemn these 'Israeli' declarations, and once again we ask the 'Israeli' government to give peace a chance by stopping all settlement activity," he said.
East Al-Quds is home to 208,000 Palestinians, according to a recent Palestinian census.
The Palestinians hope to establish an independent state that includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with east Al-Quds as their capital.
"Israeli" regime occupied all three areas in the 1967 war, but withdrew from Gaza in 2005.