BICOM

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Israel’s announcement of tenders for the construction of almost 1,200 new homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank should not disrupt peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) set to resume in Jerusalem tomorrow.

On Sunday, Israel’s Housing Minister and Jewish Home MK Uri Ariel announced that 793 new homes are slated for construction in the East Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Gilo, Har Homa and Pisgat Ze’ev while 394 new constructions are planned for Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumim, Efrat and Beitar Illit, which are considered part of major settlement blocs, likely to remain part of Israel in a future peace deal.

Speaking yesterday at a press conference, Kerry said that Ariel’s announcement had been “to some degree expected” by Washington. Although Kerry said that the United States “views all of the settlements as illegitimate,” he emphasised that Palestinian criticism over Sunday’s announcement “underscores… the importance of getting to the table, getting to the table quickly.” He explained that “Once you have security and borders solved, you have resolved the question of settlements” and that “With the negotiation of major issues, these kind of hot point issues … are eliminated.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the issues of borders and settlements yesterday during a meeting with Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Jerusalem. Referring to the new European Union (EU) funding guidelines, which specify that all future EU grants and prizes should exclude Israeli entities based in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, Netanyahu said although “We’re committed to peace and we’re working for peace… the European guidelines by the EU — have actually undermined peace.” He explained that “They’ve hardened Palestinian positions, they seek an unrealistic end… and I think they stand in the way of reaching a solution which will only be reached by negotiations.”