Jerusalem Mayor Delays Plan to Raze Palestinian Homes
VOA News 02 March 2010
Jerusalem's mayor has delayed plans to build an Israeli archaeological park that would require demolition of Palestinians' homes in the city's disputed eastern sector.
Nir Barkat said Tuesday he agreed to a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold more talks with Palestinian residents about the park before construction starts.
The project requires the demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes in the Silwan neighborhood to make way for tourist attractions, new shops and local amenities.
Palestinian officials in the West Bank have condemned the project as another attempt by Israel to tighten control over East Jerusalem, which they claim as the capital of a future state.
Mr. Netanyahu's office says he asked the mayor to delay the project out of concern that it could otherwise be used to "distort" Israel's international image.
Palestinians displaced by construction are to receive land in another part of the Silwan neighborhood, and Jerusalem's mayor says he envisions them building new homes funded by foreign aid groups and governments.
In a separate development Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu said he will oppose any peace deal with the Palestinians that calls for Israel to pull out of a key part of the West Bank, the Jordan Valley.
The prime minister said Israel will not cede the land bordering Israel's border with Jordan because it is too important strategically. Palestinians are seeking all of the West Bank for their future state.
A U.S. State Department spokesman, P.J. Crowley, said Tuesday that Washington believes Israel and the Palestinians are "getting closer" to a starting a dialogue that can resolve their complex disputes. The United States has offered to mediate indirect talks between the two sides in an effort to revive the peace process that has been stalled for more than a year. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Arab foreign ministers in Cairo Tuesday to discuss the U.S. proposal.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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