Israel disregards specific U.S. objection, approves plan to expand Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood. <
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"The U.S. State Department responded Tuesday to Israel's plan to build 900 new housing units beyond the Green Line in Jerusalem, despite specific objections from the U.S., saying that "we are dismayed."
The State Department issued a statement, voicing the U.S.'s disappointment with "the Jerusalem Planning Committee's decision to move forward on the approval process for the expansion of Gilo in Jerusalem."
The Jerusalem municipal planning committee approved the construction plan Tuesday despite an expose in Israel's Yedioth Aharonot newspaper earlier in the day revealing that the U.S. has specifically objected to the construction outlined in the plan.
"At a time when we are working to relaunch negotiations," the U.S. State Dempartment statement went on to say, "these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed. Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations."
"The U.S. also objects to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes," the statement continued.
"Our position is clear: the status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties," it added."
morePalestinians, UK blast Israeli Jerusalem building planhttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3806821,00.htmlDespite US pressure, Jerusalem building authorized and Palestinians aren't happy about it, say move shows Israel's overtures for talks 'meaningless'<
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"Israeli officials on Tuesday deposited a plan to build 900 more housing units in a Jewish neighborhood in the part of Jerusalem claimed by Palestinians, drawing criticism from the Palestinians and Britain."
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"Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat responded to the move by charging that there is no point in talking peace while Israel expands Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.
"We condemn this in the strongest possible terms," Erekat said Tuesday. "It shows that it is meaningless to resume negotiations when this goes on."
The British government also criticized the plan to expand the sprawling neighborhood of Gilo, where about 40,000 Israelis live.
"The Foreign Secretary has been very clear that a credible deal involves Jerusalem as a shared capital," a British statement said. "Expanding settlements on occupied land in east Jerusalem makes that deal much harder. So this decision on Gilo is wrong and we oppose it."