OCCUPIED-ALQUDS: An Israeli plan to raze 22 Arab homes to make way for an archaeological park in east al-Quds has infuriated the Palestinians, with president Mahmoud Abbas urging Washington to block the controversial project.
The park, which is planned for a crumbling Arab neighbourhood just outside the walls of the Old City, was approved by al-Quds city council on Monday in a move that drew criticism both at home and abroad.
The United States should take into consideration the Israeli measures and ask Israel to stop, Abbas told reporters in Amman after talks with Jordans King Abdullah II. We reject such actions, which hinder any political progress. Plan was put before the citys planning and building committee on Monday, which approved Gan Hamelech, the Hebrew name for an area outside the Old City known as Al-Bustan to its mostly Arab residents.
Under the plan, 22 homes would be razed, while another 66 would be legalised. The 88 homes all had been slated for demolition because they were built without Israeli permit(Palestinians need Israeli permits to build houses on their own land, what a joke)
Many Palestinians risk having their homes razed because they were built or expanded without the necessary permits, which are nearly impossible to obtain.
Al-Bustan is part of the so-called Holy Basin, just outside the walls of the Old City. It is now a crowded Arab neighbourhood in a part of the city occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognised internationally.
Israel considers the whole of Al-Quds as its eternal and indivisible capital while the Palestinians see east Al-Quds as the capital of their promised state. The UN envoy to the peace process Robert Serry called the municipalitys decision worrying and planned to take up the matter with Israel. We will be reminding the Israeli government of its responsibilities to insure that provocative steps are not taken in the city, particularly at this fragile time,
The park, which is planned for a crumbling Arab neighbourhood just outside the walls of the Old City, was approved by al-Quds city council on Monday in a move that drew criticism both at home and abroad.
The United States should take into consideration the Israeli measures and ask Israel to stop, Abbas told reporters in Amman after talks with Jordans King Abdullah II. We reject such actions, which hinder any political progress. Plan was put before the citys planning and building committee on Monday, which approved Gan Hamelech, the Hebrew name for an area outside the Old City known as Al-Bustan to its mostly Arab residents.
Under the plan, 22 homes would be razed, while another 66 would be legalised. The 88 homes all had been slated for demolition because they were built without Israeli permit(Palestinians need Israeli permits to build houses on their own land, what a joke)
Many Palestinians risk having their homes razed because they were built or expanded without the necessary permits, which are nearly impossible to obtain.
Al-Bustan is part of the so-called Holy Basin, just outside the walls of the Old City. It is now a crowded Arab neighbourhood in a part of the city occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognised internationally.
Israel considers the whole of Al-Quds as its eternal and indivisible capital while the Palestinians see east Al-Quds as the capital of their promised state. The UN envoy to the peace process Robert Serry called the municipalitys decision worrying and planned to take up the matter with Israel. We will be reminding the Israeli government of its responsibilities to insure that provocative steps are not taken in the city, particularly at this fragile time,
