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Netanyahu says Israel Will Build in All of Jerusalem
Israel’s prime minister says he will continue to build in all parts of Jerusalem, despite international criticism.
Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament Monday that “the French build in Paris, the English build in London and the Israelis build in Jerusalem.” The government is currently advancing construction plans to build about 1,000 housing units in east Jerusalem.
Netanyahu made his remarks as Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah paid a rare visit to a key Jerusalem holy site in a bid to bolster Palestinian claims to the area.
The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as their future capital and oppose any Israeli construction there. Palestinian youths have been clashing regularly with Israeli security forces in east Jerusalem for months.
A senior Palestinian official warned that the Israeli plan to build more than 1,000 new homes for settlers in annexed east Jerusalem is likely to cause an “explosion” of violence.
Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and says the whole city will
forever be its capital, citing historical, religious and security reasons. The international community, including the United States, does not recognize Israel’s annexation of the eastern sector of Jerusalem.
Hamdallah’s visit to the Dome of the Rock on Monday came at a time of rising tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in east Jerusalem.
The shrine, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, is located on a hilltop compound revered by Jews and Muslims. It is a frequent flashpoint of violence.
Hamdallah said “there will not be a Palestinian state without east Jerusalem as its capital.”
The visit was coordinated with Israeli security, and it passed without incident.
