By Xinhua
Ramallah : Israel’s decision to invite bids to construct 307 housing units in the settlement of Har Homa in east Jerusalem “destroys what was agreed upon in the Annapolis peace conference,” Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Wednesday.
In the U.S.-hosted conference on Nov. 27, there was a joint statement to resume Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and to form an Israeli, Palestinian and American committee to follow up the implementation of the roadmap peace plan, Erekat told Voice of Palestine radio.
Erekat explained that the first phase of the roadmap calls on Israel to freeze West Bank settlement activates including the natural grow of the blocs, removing the random settlements and stopping all kinds of escalation that were taken after the Palestinian uprising in 2000.
“It is unacceptable that Israel builds these settlement blocs, keeps the (Palestinian Authority’s) office in Jerusalem closed and doesn’t remove the random blocs,” Erekat said.
“The real test for the U.S. administration is to force Israel to cancel the settlement, stop the aggression and give the peace process the chance it deserves,” he added.
It was the second time the Palestinian negotiator had condemned the Israeli decision to expand the settlements.
On Tuesday, Erekat said in a statement that the Israeli Land Administration (ILA) had on Dec. 2 published tenders for the construction of 307 new housing units.
Erekat said he addressed a letter to the International Quartet, describing the ILA’s action as a major violation of Israel’s obligations under the roadmap peace plan, which undermines the entire political process between Israel and the Palestinians.
He urged the United States, “as the agreed judge in this process, to take all necessary steps to reverse this latest violation, as well as any future violations of the settlement freeze.”
“The opportunity afforded to us at Annapolis will not come a second time. We therefore must seize this opportunity now, as the stakes are higher than they have ever been and the consequences of inaction are serious,” said Erekat.
The settlement of Har Homa was created in 1996 in breach of a previous Israeli commitment to the U.S.
It’s one of several key settlements designed to encircle East Jerusalem and sever it from the rest of the West Bank. At that time, the start of construction of the settlement caused a serious disruption to the political negotiations.
It will be the first settlement expansion by Israel after last week’s international conference on the Mideast peace process, which was hosted by the U.S. in Annapolis.
At the Annapolis conference, both the Palestinian and Israeli sides had vowed to implement the U.S.-brokered roadmap plan.
The roadmap plan, known for its vision of two-state solution, was declared in 2002 by U.S. President George W. Bush who called for creating a viable and democratic Palestinian statehood alongside Israel which should be secured.