U.S. warns Israel: New Jerusalem construction will aid Palestinian bid at UN

Interior Minister Yishai rebuffs request to halt plan to approve 1,100 homes in the neighborhood of Gilo, says construction in the capital has never stopped and will not stop now.

"Yishai replied that no Israeli government had given in to the request to freeze settlements in the past, saying that there was no reason for the current government to do so now."

The United States urged Israel on Wednesday to halt a plan that would approve new construction in a contentious Jerusalem neighborhood, saying that such a move would harm U.S. efforts to thwart the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations.
The Jerusalem District Planning Committee announced late last month that it would approve the construction of 1,100 new housing units in Gilo, despite past U.S. objections concerning any work that would expand the neighborhoof further beyond the Green Line.

	Construction in Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood.
	Photo by: Daniel Bar-On

The proposal would allot 20 percent of the units in the neighborhood to young couples, in compliance with a directive g8iven by Interior Minister Eli Yishai. The plan also includes the construction of a boardwalk, public structures, and a commercial center.
U.S. envoy to Israel, Dan Shapiro, met with Yishai on Wednesday, and urged him to shelf the Gilo construction plan, warning it could push international support in favor of the Palestinians in their move for UN recognition.
Yishai reportedly rejected Shapiro's request, saying that construction in Jerusalem has never stopped - even during left-wing governments - and that it would not stop now.

A senior Israeli official said the plan greatly angered Merkel, after she had enlisted massive support of Israel over the past few weeks to help in thwarting a Security Council vote approving Palestinian membership in the United Nations.
Israel's plan for Gilo has already drawn considerable international criticism. Earlier this month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel took Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harshly to task over the move, precipitating an unprecedented diplomatic crisis.
Senior German officials told their Israeli counterparts that Merkel was "furious" and "does not believe a word [Netanyahu] says.
At Netanyahu's request, Merkel had also put major pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accept the Quartet's initiative and renew peace talks immediately, the Israeli official said, adding that Germany may now reconsider and support upgrading the PA's status to that of a non-member state in the UN General Assembly.
Netanyahu rejected criticism against the construction plan, saying that Gilo is not a settlement, but rather a Jerusalem neighborhood five minutes from the center of the capital. He noted that all Israeli governments built in such neighborhoods source:

Israel denies US request for settlement freeze

By JPOST.COM STAFF
10/27/2011 12:02
Israel denied a request by the United States on Thursday to temporarily freezesettlement construction in order to promote peace talks with the Palestinians, ArmyRadio reported.

In a meeting with Interior Minister Eli Yishai, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro requested the freeze - a repeated Palestinian precondition for negotiations - in order to bolster political goodwill as the US tries to counter Palestinian efforts to seek full UN membership.

Shapiro promised that the United States would veto such efforts regardless of Israel's decision on settlements.

Yishai replied that no Israeli government had given in to the request to freezesettlements in the past, saying that there was no reason for the current government to do so now. SOURCE: