no excuses for Shas. They cannot say that they didn't know...]
U.S. to demand halt to East Jerusalem building as part of freeze
U.S. administration not demanding a formal construction freeze, but
expecting a halt to construction in practice.
By Barak Ravid Haaretz Published 02:34 19.11.10
http://www.haaretz.com/print-
The United States will demand that Israel refrain from undertaking
construction in East Jerusalem and from demolishing Palestinian homes there
for the duration of a new 90-day West Bank building freeze if another
construction moratorium is approved by the inner cabinet, a senior American
official has told Haaretz.
The U.S. administration is not demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu declare a formal construction freeze in East Jerusalem, but it
expects a halt to Israeli construction in practice, and that Israel will not
carry out any other provocative activity.
The U.S. official said that if a new settlement freeze takes effect, the
American administration will continue to pressure Israel to keep things
quiet in East Jerusalem during the 90-day period.
The official added that in April President Barack Obama conveyed a verbal
message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the U.S. expected both
Israel and the Palestinians to refrain from acts that would undermine trust,
including actions in East Jerusalem, and the Americans would respond to such
provocations with steps of its own or "adjustments in policy" while
negotiations were underway.
Over the past year the Obama administration has spelled out examples of
steps that it viewed as undermining trust, including announcements of major
building plans in East Jerusalem, eviction of Palestinian residents from
their homes and demolition of Palestinian homes.
The administration said it made no distinction between Arab and Jewish
neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. "This policy will continue if the
negotiations resume under a 90-day moratorium," the U.S. official said, "and
the Israelis know it ... So whatever Bibi is telling Shas to reassure them
about U.S. policy on East Jerusalem is not true."
A source in the Prime Minister's Office responded to the U.S. official's
remarks as follows: "There is no American commitment on the subject of
Jerusalem, however Israel has made it clear that there will not be a freeze
in Jerusalem and this is a unilateral Israeli position.
The subject of Jerusalem was not discussed at all in New York [at
Netanyahu's meeting last week with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton].
Jerusalem is outside the discussions and construction in Jerusalem will take
place continuously, as in the past."
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak met Wednesday night with Shas
chairman Eli Yishai and attempted to convince him not to oppose a resumption
of the construction freeze. Yishai responded that he wished to know
precisely what U.S. policy was on East Jerusalem, to ensure that the
Americans would not be surprised by construction in East Jerusalem during
the West Bank building moratorium. The Shas leader also demanded that Barak
permit massive building in the major settlement blocs at the end of the
freeze. The meeting ended without agreement and the inner cabinet was not
convened yesterday to vote on the proposal.
Senior figures in the Shas party have said they are very concerned that they
have yet to receive clarification from Netanyahu on the issue of
construction in East Jerusalem. They point out that the matter is of
critical importance to Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Yishai and
Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias.
They said they had given Netanyahu substantial leeway despite their
reservations, but would be forced to vote against the freeze in the inner
cabinet unless there are assurances that the U.S. will not be surprised if
construction in East Jerusalem continues. The Shas officials added that they
proposed a variety of flexible formulas on the subject, but have not
received a definitive response.
Netanyahu is devoting most of his schedule to contacts with the Obama
administration on the letter of assurances, which must be finalized before
an inner cabinet vote.
Burning the midnight oil
The prime minister has remained in his office late into the night with his
adviser Isaac Molho, in discussions with senior U.S. officials. Wednesday
night they were joined for the contacts with the U.S. by Barak and Deputy
Prime Minister Dan Meridor.
A member of the inner cabinet has said that almost all the issues involving
the letter of assurances have been wrapped up, but one unresolved issue is
the delivery by the U.S. of 20 advanced F-35 fighter jets to Israel.
The Americans do not wish to commit in the letter that the jets would be
provided at no cost. The U.S. would like the letter to state that the
Americans would take additional steps to preserve the Israel Defense Force's
qualitative advantage.
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