Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr Saeb Erakat, today said that plans to construct a new Israeli settlement in the Palestinian neighborhood of Ras al-Amud in occupied East Jerusalem provided yet another example of the obstacles Israel continues to place in the way of international efforts to restart negotiations. Submitted for approval to Israeli authorities, and reportedly to be called ‘Ma’aleh David’, plans for the new settlement include the construction of 104 new settlement units.

“This proposal comes on the eve of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with US Middle East Envoy Senator George Mitchell, and at a time when international efforts to reinvigorate the peace process are being held up by Israel’s refusal to freeze all settlement activity in line with its international and Road Map obligations,” Dr Erakat said.

“This does not help create an environment for negotiations. Rather than play a constructive role in efforts to restart negotiations, Israel continues to undermine and frustrate these efforts.”

“Occupied East Jerusalem is crucial to the economic and political viability of a future Palestinian state. It is not territory that belongs to Israel. It is occupied Palestinian territory, and its population is overwhelmingly Palestinian. Israel’s continued settlement expansion in East Jerusalem is an out and out land grab that threatens the very possibility of a negotiated two-state solution.”

“East Jerusalem has become the focal point of a long litany of Israeli measures carried out in violation of international law, existing agreements and the fundamental rights and freedoms of Palestinians. The city is slowly being emptied of Palestinians.”

Dr Erakat said that Israel had yet to understand that the two-state solution and regional stability and peace are in its own interests.

“By providing political cover for settlers and funding settlement projects, Israel’s political leadership has created a situation where peace and security for ordinary Israelis is perpetually undermined by a radical fringe of settlers.” Dr Erakat concluded.

Additional Information on East Jerusalem

• In 1967, Israel unilaterally expanded the municipal boundaries of East Jerusalem from the original 6.5 square kilometers during Jordanian rule to 72 square kilometers and illegally annexed this area. Of this expanded area, Israel has expropriated 47% of Palestinian land for exclusive Israeli settlement use, settler roads and infrastructure, designated 40% of undeveloped land as “Green Areas”, and left only 13% for Palestinian use.

• There are approximately 185,000 illegal settlers living in occupied East Jerusalem, and 260,000 Palestinians. Palestinians account for 58% of the population of occupied East Jerusalem, yet due to near impossible restrictions Israel imposes on building permits for Palestinians, they are confined to just 13% of the expanded Jerusalem municipality as defined by Israel. Israeli settlers form 42% of the total population and occupy 35% of the same area.

• Israel has stepped up its policy of house demolitions in East Jerusalem. There are now hundreds of pending house demolition orders and ongoing plans for the destruction of homes in Silwan (88 units), Ras Khamis (55 units), and Al Thuri (32 units).

• Israel has designated 28 Palestinian homes, housing 40 Palestinian families, for eviction in Sheikh Jarrah to make way for the planned Israeli settlement of ‘Shimon HaTsadiq’. This new settlement, if completed, will consist of 200 housing units on 18 dunams of land, and would create geographical contiguity between the Israeli settlements of French Hill and Neve Ya’kov with the Old City in East Jerusalem, further fragmenting Palestinian East Jerusalem and preempting a negotiated solution to Jerusalem, which is the corner stone of any peace agreement.

• Sheikh Jarrah is also the target of a second planned Israeli settlement consisting of 90 housing units to be built on the current site of the Shepherd Hotel – including six buildings of eight floors each, as well as a synagogue, a kindergarten and a park for children. The whole complex will be approximately 10,000 square meters in size and accommodate 500 new settlers.

• Israel has also significantly stepped up its confiscation of Jerusalem ID cards. In 2006 alone, 1,363 Jerusalem ID cards were confiscated by Israel, representing an increase of 500% compared to 2005 ID card confiscations.

• Since the beginning of Israel’s occupation in 1967, the UN Security Council has reiterated that all Israeli measures and actions aimed at changing the status of East Jerusalem, including its annexation and the application of Israeli laws, administration and jurisdiction, are in direct contravention of international law and are therefore null and void.

• These measures are also in violation of Israel’s Road Map commitments renewed at the Annapolis Conference, including a freeze on all settlement activity and a halt to all home demolitions and evictions.