Brussels, 10/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU was firm on Sunday 9 January in its condemnation of the demolition by Israeli authorities of a historic building in the Palestinian district of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem to make way for the construction of what the EU described as a further “illegal settlement”. Israel's reaction was one of immediate ire. “I strongly condemn this morning's demolition of the Shepherd Hotel and the planned construction of a new illegal settlement” in East Jerusalem, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, on behalf of member states. “I reiterate that settlements are illegal under international law, undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacle to peace,” she went on. East Jerusalem is “part of occupied Palestinian territory” and the EU “does not recognise the annexation by Israel”, she stated. She also called on all parties to exercise restraint, and for a halt to all violence. The United States, too, condemned the Israeli action. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke of a “disturbing development” which “undermines peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution”. The Palestinian Authority said that, with this action, “Israel has ruined all the American efforts and ended any chance of a return to negotiations”.
Israeli reaction. Ashton's statement was not appreciated by the Israeli authorities. “Calling Jerusalem a settlement is a nonsense and an insult to the history of the city,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP. “It is incomprehensible that issues of private law, international law and politics can be confused,” he said. He went on to say that the building was on private land, the use of which had nothing to do with diplomacy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that actions undertaken at the Shepherd Hotel were conducted by “private individuals in accordance with Israeli law”. He went
on to say that “there should be no expectation that the State of Israel will impose a ban on Jews purchasing private property in Jerusalem. No democratic government would impose such a ban on Jews and Israel will certainly not do so”. (H.B./transl.rt)