Cairo, March 02: : Egypt on Tuesday condemned a decision by Israeli authorities to build 600 new Jewish housing units in the disputed East Jerusalem, warning that such a move could jeopardise the regional peace-making efforts.
The government here said that Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt intends to raise the issue with all international parties concerned to pressure the Israeli government to stop building new settlements.
Such a project could ruin the credibility of all ongoing regional peace-making efforts, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said.
He accused Tel Aviv of acting in complete disregard of efforts to promote the Palestinian-Israeli political process that ultimately aims at ending the Israeli occupation and establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
The US also criticised Israel yesterday for authorising 600 new housing units in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Pisgat Ze’ev, describing the move as “counter-productive.
“We’ve relayed our strong concerns to the government of Israel, that this kind of activity, particularly as we try to re-launch meaningful negotiations is counter-productive and undermines trust between the parties,” said US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.
—Agencies