In comments that may complicate U.S. attempts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Jerusalem’s mayor this week denied there was a freeze in Jewish housing construction in east Jerusalem.
Mayor Nir Barkat said reports were wrong and construction of Jewish homes in the traditionally Arab eastern part of the city will continue after a temporary slowdown in approvals. He said the slowdown was Israel’s response to harsh U.S. criticism of a new housing plan announced in March while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting.
The Obama administration has been calling for a freeze to help restart the stalled peace process, but Barkat was adamant. “If they are recommending a freeze, the answer is no,” he said.
His comments in Washington April 27 came a day after local officials in Jerusalem said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had effectively frozen construction in an apparent bid to ease U.S.-Israeli tension and boost chances for starting indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Barkat’s blunt remarks come at a delicate time as President Barack Obama tries to launch the talks with his special Mideast envoy George Mitchell serving as a shuttling mediator between the two parties.
Mitchell, who was just in the Middle East attempting to get those proximity talks started, is due to return to the region next week. Both sides have indicated a willingness to get back to the negotiating table, but Barkat’s comments could inflame Palestinian and broader Arab sentiment.
Netanyahu has not commented publicly on whether there is a freeze on east Jerusalem construction.
Barkat, however, said during a dinner organized by the pro-Israel group the Israel Project after talks with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, “There is no freeze. It’s not true.”
Barkat also said he was not prepared to be flexible on sharing Jerusalem with the Palestinians, even if it could lead to a peace deal. He said Israel must have sovereignty over a united Jerusalem.
He rejected Palestinian control of any portion of the city, saying it would be like putting an Arab “Trojan horse” into the middle of a predominantly Jewish community. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and Barkat’s tough stance is likely to cause anger throughout the Arab world.
Barkat’s local government administers the long-term planning for Jerusalem’s growth. He said the plans for more homes for Jews and Arabs in east Jerusalem will not change, and that he foresees the city’s population growing from 800,000 to
1 million in 10 years, with the Jewish-Palestinian ratio kept at 65-35.
He said the decline in housing approvals was the result of Israeli shock at being “slapped in the face” by the United States.
“It takes some time to recover from such an attack from a friend like the U.S. administration,” Barkat said. He said local and district commissions that oversee housing approvals had begun to meet again after a brief hiatus. “You cannot stop a vibrant and living city like Jerusalem from growing,” he added.
He said he could imagine a Palestinian embassy in Jerusalem once the Palestinians get a state, but no governmental offices with any national or municipal authority.