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Israeli housing plan decried

DUBAI: Amid international condemnation, Israel's decision to build thousands of new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem has jeopardised the prospects of indirect talks, mediated by the United States, between Israelis and Palestinians.

The timing of the announcement by the Israeli Interior Ministry on Tuesday that permission had been granted to build 1,600 more homes in an East Jerusalem neighbourhood was particularly awkward as it came during the presence of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, the highest ranking official of the Obama administration to visit Israel.

Mr. Biden during his stay in Israel had hoped to put his weight behind the start of “proximity talks” involving the Israelis and the Palestinians, under the stewardship of George Mitchell, the U.S. special envoy to West Asia. The U.S. chose this format, because direct interaction earlier between the Israelis and Palestinians had stalled.

The Israeli refusal to accept the Palestinian demand to freeze all construction on Palestinian land occupied by Israel during the 1967 war had led to the breakdown of talks.

The Israeli announcement caught off-guard the Americans, who had been in preceding months counselling Israel to exercise restraint on construction in occupied territory, so that the Palestinians could be persuaded to join negotiations. Using unusually strong language, Mr. Biden in his response to the Israeli move said: “I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units.”

The Palestinians have hinted that they are, in the aftermath of the Israeli decision, reconsidering their participation in the “proximity talks.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has contacted Amr Moussa, head of the 22-nation Arab League to forge a common Arab response.

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