Lieberman lashed at Palestinian objections to Israel's
settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem Al-Quds.
http://www.presstv.ir/photo/20091218/shamseddin20091218170044406.jpg
Israel calls its temporary partial freeze on the West Bank
settlement projects a tactical move, vowing to resume the
expansions "full force" after the 10-month pause.
"It is clear to everyone that in 10 months, we will be
building again [in] full force; anyone who understands
anything knows this," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
said at a Thursday meeting with settlers in the West Bank
settlement town of Ariel.
Senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, had earlier made
similar comments in hopes of placating enraged settlers who
fiercely resisted a closure of construction projects in
their settlements.
The moratorium came under mounting pressures from the
international community and the Palestinian Authority's
repeated calls for a halt on the illegal settlement activity
on the Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank before a
return to peace talks.
The Israeli move, however, failed to turn heads in Palestine
as the construction activity is expected to resume as soon
as the 10-month freeze is over.
It also allows the construction of synagogues, schools and
other community buildings in the settlements while excluding
the construction work in the illegally annexed East
Jerusalem Al-Quds.
"There will be no more overtures, and we will not make
another gesture or quarter gesture. Enough with the
theatrics and the mediators," Lieberman said, referring to
Tel Aviv's statements in November proclaiming the move was
meant to satisfy the Palestinians' demanded halt.
Media reports earlier this week said that Israeli Minister
of Interior Elie Yashi would continue planning for
settlement expansion and construction for several new
housing units across the West Bank.
"The government has vowed to stop building for 10 months but
its decision does not include settlement planning," reports
cited Yashi as saying.
The United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East
peace process, Robert Serry, told the Security Council on
Thursday that a partial slowdown on the expansion of West
Bank settlements was insufficient and did not meet the
Israeli obligations in this regard.
"Particularly as regards East Jerusalem, the policy falls
considerably short of Israel's commitments under the Roadmap
to freeze all settlement activity, including 'natural
growth', and to dismantle outposts erected since March
2001," Serry said.
Lieberman, a West Bank settler himself, last week lashed at
Palestinian objections to Israel's settlements in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem Al-Quds, describing them as a
pretext for the Arab world to complain.
MRS/AKM
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114050§ionid=351020202
UN: Settlement slowdown is no settlement freeze
Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:12:54 GMT
Robert Serry, the United Nations special coordinator for the
Middle East peace process
http://www.presstv.ir/photo/20091218/pirhayati20091218080410312.jpg
The United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East
peace process, Robert Serry, says Israel's partial hold-up
of settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian
territories is only a slowdown not a settlement freeze.
Serry said Israel doesn't fulfill its commitments to the
Road Map for Peace in the Middle East. East Jerusalem Al-
Quds should be part of the freeze and Tel Aviv should commit
itself to ending the so-called natural progress of
settlements and dismantling the illegal outposts erected by
the settlers since March 2001, he added.
The UN Middle East Envoy went on to note that Israel is
currently building more than 3000 housing units in East
Jerusalem Al-Quds. In addition, it has given the green light
for the construction of more than 28 public facilities in
the settlements.
Serry pointed out that the partial settlement slowdown
announced by Israel does not include occupied East Jerusalem
Al-Quds. These settlements are illegal and should be
dismantled instead of being granted further budgets.
The Israeli cabinet on December 13 granted additional budget
allocations to more than 110.000 settlers living in isolated
settlements in the West Bank.
The move, which came just weeks after Israel imposed a ten-
month moratorium on new buildings in the West Bank
settlements, defies a call by the international community
for a complete halt on settlements considered illegal by the
UN regulations.
Israel has repeatedly been called on to halt the
construction of illegal settlements including the so-called
"natural growth" in existing settlements in the West Bank.
Tel Aviv, however, claims that it is not constructing 'new'
settlements but only building new units in the existing
settlements
MP/MTM/DT
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114032§ionid=351020202
Abbas: Israel aims to force Palestinians out of Al-Quds
Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:23:52 GMT
The acting Palestinian Authority Chief
http://www.presstv.ir/photo/20091218/pirhayati20091218092629578.jpg
The acting Palestinian Authority Chief, Mahmoud Abbas, says
Israel is attempting to drive Palestinians out of East
Jerusalem Al-Quds as part of its Judaization campaign
targeting the holy city.
"East Jerusalem Al-Quds is suffering an unprecedented
settlement attack aimed at eliminating its identity,
separating it from its surroundings and suffocating every
activity in order to achieve one goal, which is expulsion,
and this will not be allowed to happen," Abbas said Thursday
at the closing ceremony of the Al-Quds Capital of Arab
Culture festival in Nablus.
He also noted, "There is no Palestine without East Jerusalem
Al-Quds. No one will accept it. Without East Jerusalem Al-
Quds there will be no peace."
Tel Aviv is currently under intense pressure from the
international community to halt the construction of illegal
settlements in the West Bank. Israeli settlements are widely
considered the main obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks.
Under the 2002 Roadmap for Peace, Israel has to 'dismantle
settlement outposts erected since 2001 and freeze all
settlement activities.'
There are currently 121 Israeli settlements and
approximately 102 Israeli outposts built on Palestinian land
occupied by Israel in 1967. All of these settlements and
outposts are illegal under international law and have been
condemned by numerous United Nations Security Council
resolutions.
These settlements and outposts are inhabited by a population
of 462,000 Israeli settlers. Some 191,000 Israelis are
living in settlements around Jerusalem Al-Quds and an
additional 271,400 are spread throughout the West Bank.
All such Jewish settlements are deemed illegal under
international law because they have been erected on occupied
lands that the Palestinians claim for a future state.
MP/MTM/DT
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114038§ionid=351020202
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But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light:
for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. The light shineth in darkness;
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if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.