Har Homa and construction of the wall dividing Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
In defiance of the U.S. sponsored ‘road map’ for peace, Israel issued a tender for the construction of 447 housing units in Har Homa. This would effectively cut Har Homa off from the rest of the occupied West Bank. Arab East Jerusalem would be encircled by a wall of settlements.
Several similar tenders have been issued since Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas launched U.S.-sponsored peace talks last November.
"I don’t know how many times the Israelis have to do this for the international community to open its eyes," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Israel defiantly continues to build housing units on Palestinian land
JERUSALEM, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Israel issued on Thursday a tender for the construction of 447 housing units in settlements in the Jerusalem area, drawing fire from Palestinians who accused the Jewish state of sabotaging chances of peace.
Under the tender, Israel will build some 130 housing units in Har Homa, an area Palestinians refer to as Jabal Abu Ghneim. The tender also calls for construction of 317 housing units in Beitar Illit, a settlement near Jerusalem.