Israel to advance east Jerusalem building plans

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Israel is moving forward with plans for two major settlement projects in east Jerusalem, a spokeswoman said Tuesday, even as a senior Palestinian official warned that his government could pursue war crimes charges if Israel doesn't halt such construction.

International anger over Israeli settlement construction has snowballed in recent days, following last week's U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine in lands Israel occupied in 1967 as a non-member observer in the General Assembly.

Israel retaliated for U.N. recognition of Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem by announcing plans to build 3,000 homes for Jews in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as preparations for construction of an especially sensitive project near Jerusalem, known as E-1.

In this context, Egypt's Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Amr Roshdy said on Tuesday that Israel's ambassador to Cairo Yaakov Amitai was summoned to issue a "strong protest" over the Jewish state's plans for building new settlements.

"The Israeli government's plan contradicts the concept of land for peace, on which peace efforts in the region are built," Roshdy stressed.

For his part, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday that European sanctions against Israel in response to settlement building was not an option, but he was discussing with other foreign ministers what to do if construction went ahead.

"I don't think there is enthusiasm around the European Union about economic sanctions in Europe on Israel. I don't believe there would be anywhere near a consensus nor is that our approach. We continue to try to bring both sides back to negotiations," Hague told parliament.

The Palestinians are condemning Israel for announcing plans for new settlement construction immediately after the U.N. recognized the state of Palestine and are demanding urgent international action to stop what he called "this latest Israeli provocation."

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said in letters sent late Monday to the secretary-general, Security Council and General Assembly that at the same time that Palestinian leaders reaffirmed their readiness to resume peace negotiations, "Israel continues to flagrantly pursue its illegal policies and practices."

He appealed to the international community, including the U.N. Security Council, to act urgently to salvage the internationally-backed goal of two states living side by side in peace, which was reaffirmed in last Thursday's General Assembly resolution raising the Palestinians' U.N. status to a nonmember observer state.

REUTERS/AP