[Yesterday I sent out a message concerning Netanyahu’s “building plans’ in Yesha and East Jerusalem. I said in part, “few of these [announced] structures ever get built. In fact, Netanyahu’s government expends more of its time and energy demolishing Jewish homes than it does constructing them.” Of course there were skeptics who wanted proof. For their benefit, here’s exhibit A. df] Times of Israel, November 12, 2013 Netanyahu scrambles to nix tender for 1,200 apartments in E1 near Ma’ale Adumim By Adiv Sterman clip_image001 A view of the Jewish West Bank settlement of Maaleh Adumim, with the controversial E1 tract in the background (photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) The Housing Ministry has published tenders for the planning of some 20,000 settlement apartments, including 1,200 units in the controversial E1 corridor linking Jerusalem with Ma’ale Adumim to the east, settlement watchdog Peace Now announced Tuesday. Soon after the report broke, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the tender for E1. Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said building up E1, which critics say would prevent a contiguous Palestinian state, was “unwise” at the current juncture. Netanyahu didn’t cancel any of the other tenders for planning the expansion of various settlements including Atarot, Ma’ale Adumim and Efrat. Ma’ale Adumim Mayor Benny Kasriel urged Netanyahu to reconsider his decision to cancel the E1 tender, claiming that in order to attract more residents, his town was in dire need of more development. Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel reportedly published the planning tenders without notifying the prime minister. He defended his actions on Tuesday, saying that the publication of the tenders was a standard procedural matter. “Plans for the construction of 600,000 housing units across the country are announced each year; it is a process that takes seven years,” a ministry spokesperson told Haaretz. “This is not a marketing campaign for housing units, but the planning of an inventory. It may be used in the future and it may not, but there is no reason not to make plans,” the spokesperson reportedly said. The E1 land strip, stretching from East Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim and covering a territory of nearly 3,000 acres, has for years been a bone of contention between Israel and the Palestinians. Critics of Israel’s West Bank policies have argued that construction in the area would make a contiguous Palestinian state nearly impossible, while Israeli officials claim building at the site is essential for the development of Jerusalem and for Israel’s security. After the Palestinian Authority was granted nonmember observer status at the United Nations last year, Israel responded by reviving its plans to build in E1, a move that drew harsh international condemnation, including from Washington. In March, Palestinian activists set up an outpost in the area to protest US President Barack Obama’s visit to the region. The outpost was later dismantled and nearly 40 activists were evacuated. On Thursday, US Secretary of State John Kerry launched an unusually bitter public attack on Israeli policies in the West Bank, and warned that if current peace talks fail, Israel could see a third intifada and growing international isolation. He also said that calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions would increase in such a case. The secretary of state said ongoing settlement construction risked creating the sense that Israel was not “serious” about wanting a permanent agreement. Kerry added that in US eyes, “settlements are illegitimate” and said he believed the “entire peace process would be easier if these settlements were not taking place.” ### Dan Friedman NYC
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 21:07:50 +0000
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