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Silwan

Let’s look at the facts here…

The Municipal government of Jerusalem has made a decision regarding building permits…and the United States of America feels it has a right to interfere!!! How ridiculous is this? Doesn’t Obama and Co. have anything better to do than supervise Jerusalem’s building Commission? (Like clean up a bunch of oil that is destroying the East Coast of America) Apparently the government of the United States feels that it is FAR more important to become involved in the day-to-day decisions of Jerusalem, like what building were built WITH permits and which were built WITHOUT permits…I think that Jerusalem’s building inspectors can probably do a much better job of it…

But here’s the thing…

Jerusalem is going to build a National Archeological Park on this biblical historic site. A park that will also include hotels, restaurants and other tourist attractions. There happens to be about 88 Arab homes built on the site…homes BUILT WITHOUT BUILDING PERMITS, therefore, ILLEGAL!..So what is the Municipality of Jerusalem doing? They say that 22 of these illegal buildings must be destroyed…the Park cannot be built with them standing there, BUT…They have retroactively APPROVED the other 66 ILLEGAL ARAB HOMES!!!

Why isn’t Abbas THANKING Israel instead of whining to Big-Daddy America?

Abbas appeals to US over Silwan construction plan

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Palestinian president contacted Washington to urge US to take action to cancel King’s Garden construction plan in east Jerusalem. ‘US must take swift action against this provocation,’ Abbas’ spokesman says

Reprinted from YNetNews.com

While Washington has already stated that the construction plan that entails the demolition of 22 Arab homes in Silwan damages trust between Israel and the Palestinians, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is not making do with statements, and is looking for action.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP on Tuesday that Abbas asked the United States to take action to cancel the King’s Garden project in east Jerusalem, part of which includes the demolition of Arab homes.

“I sent a notice this morning from the Palestinian president to the US in which he asked the American administration to intervene directly so that the Israeli project is canceled,” said Erekat.

Erekat also said, “We vehemently denounce the decision, which will result in the demolition of 22 houses in Silwan.”

According to him, “Israel continues its settlements policy in east Jerusalem and threatens to harm US efforts to promote proximity talks.” Erekat added that this will be the main topic of discussion in the meeting between Jordanian King Abdullah and Abbas that is slated to be held later Tuesday.

Abbas’ spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the decision to destroy the homes in east Jerusalem “is a return to the Israeli policy that tries to place obstacles that will damage American efforts to promote negotiations. The US must take swift action against this provocation.”

On the other hand, the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday night clarified that the demolition and development plan in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan was in a “very initial stage” and that its final approval would require many discussions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his hope that all sides would reach “an acceptable solution guaranteeing that the law will be honored.”

The plan’s approval by the Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Committee on Sunday sparked a row, just two weeks before Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with US President Barack Obama.

This is a very initial procedure,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “The plan will face discussions and objections both at the municipality’s local committee and at the Interior Ministry’s district committee, where the residents’ stand will be presented.”

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face…

Israel is probably the biggest employer of palestinian workers. They make MUCH more money when they work in Israel than if they work in their own towns and cities…that is, if they can find work at all anywhere but in Israel. Large numbers of terrorists that have killed and maimed Israelis were workers from the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.

The world complains if Israel, because of the danger of terrorism, prevents the entry of palestinian workers. The Palestinian Authority complains that Israel is using palestinian workers to build Jewish homes.

So now they are going to ban the workers from working in certain parts of Israel.

I guess they figure they can plead poverty to the world and demand more international aid for their poor starving citizens. Your American/European tax dollars at work for you…Brilliant…

Palestinian Authority bans work in settlements

Palestinians must stop working in Jewish settlements by next year, a Palestinian cabinet minister said Tuesday, as part of a campaign to halt their expansion on occupied land Palestinians want for a state

Reprinted from Reuters.com

Economic Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh, disclosing further details of a new Palestinian law aimed at severing commercial ties with the settlements, said Palestinians violating the ban could face up to five years in jail and fines of up to $14,000.

“Those who are working in settlements are beefing up settlements, contributing heavily to the lifeline of settlements and therefore they deserve more punishment,” said Palestinian Economic Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh.

The penalties were not made public when President Mahmoud Abbas signed a law last month banning trade in goods made by Israelis living in some 100 settlements in the occupied West Bank and prohibiting Palestinian labor in them.

Since the Palestinians began the boycott campaign in January, the number of Palestinian workers in the enclave has dropped from 33,000 to 25,000, Abu Libdeh said.

Palestinians employed by settlements work in construction, agriculture and industry. Abu Libdeh said all must leave their jobs by 2010.

He said the Palestinian Authority would provide incentives to Palestinian firms to hire former settlement workers and that “encouraging responses” have already been received from various companies.

GOODS CONFISCATED

The Palestinian Authority hopes the campaign, which does not apply to goods made in Israel-proper — products vital to Palestinian consumers — will undermine settlement viability.

Since the start of the campaign, which Palestinians are encouraging European Union member states to join, some $200 million in settlement-produced goods have been confiscated in the West Bank, Abu Libdeh said.

The World Court has deemed illegal settlements Israel has built on land, including the West Bank, that it captured in a 1967 war.

Palestinian say the enclaves threaten creation of a viable state. Under U.S. pressure last November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu imposed a 10-month freeze in housing starts in West Bank settlements, a move Abbas called insufficient.

About half a million settlers live in settlements in the West Bank and Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem alongside 2.5 million Palestinians. Another 1.5 million Palestinians live in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Abu Libdeh said Israel’s criticism of the boycott drive was not justified as the Palestinian Authority was not violating existing interim peace agreements.

“We are not conducting any act of incitement against anybody. We are trying to make sure that we, the Palestinians, are not at all part of the lifeline of settlements,” he said.

Settlers, Abu Libdeh said, had to be made to understand it was no longer economically viable or profitable for them to continue to live in the West Bank.

Some settlers claim a Biblical right to the West Bank, while others have been attracted by economic and tax incentives offered by the Israeli government.

The US has a lot of nerve…not to mention the UN and the Arab League. Basically, Israel building homes for her citizens in her capital is none of their goldang business!!
First of all, Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish state for more than 2000 years. It has NOT ever been the capital of any other country. Anyone can claim anyplace as the capital of their country, but first, they should have a country, and then, it would help if there was some sort of historic basis to their claim…Neither of which is the case when it comes to so-called palestinians and Jerusalem. In case you forgot, Jerusalem is city #3 in importance to Islam…They pray with their behinds facing Jerusalem. Every Jew in the world faces Jerusalem to pray, wherever they are in the world.
Secondly, if you ask the Arabs living in the neighborhood where the building is slated to take place…They are HAPPY to have the additional housing units in their neighborhood. The tradesmen and shopkeepers cannot wait to start earning money from the increased population in their area. I just heard some of them interviewed on the radio, and, although fearful to speak out in public, that is what they said.
Oh, and I condemn the decision by the US government to build new apartments in Washington D.C….Very counterproductive…(even if you Do look cute wearing that silly black yarmulke)

Biden Condemns Construction Project in Israel’s Capital


U.S. Vice President Joe Biden flatly condemned a years-old city construction project in Israel’s capital late Tuesday, saying it is “undermining the trust” needed to jump-start final status talks with the Palestinian Authority.

Reprinted from INN Hana Levi Julian

“I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem,”
Biden said in a prepared statement. “The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I’ve had here in Israel.”

The term “proximity talks” is the new phrase that refers to final status negotiations between Israel and the PA, so called because the Obama administration will now be serving as an intermediary. PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and his aides have refused to meet for direct talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other top government officials.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also slammed the government’s approval of the project, issuing a statement Wednesday that said “the settlement activity is contrary to Israel’s obligations under the Roadmap, and undermines any movement towards a viable peace process.”

According to the Interior Ministry, which also issued a statement Tuesday night, the authorization for the project, a plan by the Jerusalem District Planning Committee to build 1,600 housing units in eastern Jerusalem, was routine. Interior Minister Eli Yishai said the announcement had been a “procedural matter,” and not a deliberate attempt to insult Biden or anyone else. He added that he regretted the timing and would have delayed the announcement had he been aware it was coming up.

The project, slated for the hareidi-religious neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, had been on the table for more than three years, did not require approval of the prime minister, and has been submitted for public comment – a 60-day process. It is still subject to final approval, and still must be reviewed by the committee. If after that process it passes muster, the project will extend the existing neighborhood by adding an access road from the west, upgrading the current entrance road, and adding apartments on the southeastern side. Each apartment will be approximately 120 square meters (1,290 square feet). The total project will comprise some 580 dunams (143 acres).

The Interior Ministry said in its statement that Netanyahu had been unaware of the plan and its timing.

Biden’s statement was issued at the close of his second day in the region on a visit that was promoted primarily as confidence-building mission meant to emphasize America’s support for Israel. “There is no space between us,” Biden told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during their meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.

The prime minister responded by telling journalists following their two-hour meeting that the American vice president was “a real friend to me, and a real friend to Israel and to the Jewish people.” Biden is the latest in a parade of American officials to arrive in Israel in recent weeks on a mission to keep the Netanyahu administration in line with American policy on Iran and talks with the PA.

Last November, Netanyahu responded to pressure from the White House by authorizing a freeze on construction in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. However, he was unwilling to extend that freeze to the neighborhoods of Jerusalem that were restored to the capital following the 1967 Six Day War — a point of contention with the PA which has refused to resume talks with Israel until those areas are included.