Israel resumes building in East Jerusalem

Palestinian negotiators this week accused Israel of choosing "settlements over peace" in a protest over publication of a plan to build 238 housing units in East Jerusalem.

U.S.-backed direct peace talks were re-launched on September 2, but are foundering over Israel's refusal to extend a 10-month settlement construction freeze that expired September 26.

Israel has insisted East Jerusalem was never part of any building freeze, since the country annexed it after it was seized in the 6-day war.

“It is true that Israel considers itself to have annexed East Jerusalem to its own territory, but neither the United States nor anyone else in the world, and certainly not the Palestinians, has ever recognized this,” says Holy Land expert Father David-Maria Jaeger, OFM.

The Franciscan priest says an ending of Israeli settlements is necessary to show good faith in the negotiations.

“Certainly in the present context the Palestinians say that building further settlements in the territory that the peace negotations are supposed to free and pass to an independent state…it is not possible for them to see how this is compatible with good faith negotiations,” he said.
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