Jerusalem, March 26: Israeli policy on Jerusalem remains unchanged, the prime minister’s office said on Friday, one day after the premier returned from Washington where he faced pressure to freeze settlements.
“The prime minister’s position is that there is no change in Israel’s policy on Jerusalem that has been pursued by all governments of Israel for the last 42 years,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu’s office said in a statement.
Israel insists a partial moratorium on settlement building it imposed in the occupied West Bank cannot be extended to east Jerusalem as it considers the entire city its “eternal and indivisible” capital.
Later in the day, Netanyahu was to discuss with his security cabinet “a series of issues from the contacts he had in the United States in order to restart peace talks with the Palestinians,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, an Israeli spokesman said today that Netanyahu has secured US agreement to continue building in Jerusalem, despite other points of disagreement on how to renew stalled peace talks.
Netanyahu’s spokesman Nir Hefez told Army radio the day after their return from a troubled US visit that Netanyahu had reached a “list of understandings” on policy toward Palestinians with President Barack Obama in their talks in Washington.
But “there were additional points still in disagreement between the sides,” Hefez added, speaking before an Israeli inner cabinet meeting later on Friday to debate making gestures to Palestinians to revive negotiations.
Palestinians have demanded a complete Israeli settlement freeze in occupied land including East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital, a claim that is not recognised internationally.
The Obama administration had also objected to Israel’s latest settlement plans for East Jerusalem, including a blueprint for 1,600 housing units published while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting, igniting new controversy this month.
–Agencies