UN-Truth

UN Secretary BAN Ki-Moon said, in a statement issued by his spokesman, that he was “deeply concerned at the recent announcement by the Israeli government to invite new tenders for construction in Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem … The Government of Israel’s continued construction in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is contrary to international law and to its commitments under the Road Map and the Annapolis process.”

Israel again announced plans, on Sunday, to build more new homes in two settlements in the occupied West Bank the government considers part of “Greater” Jerusalem — Pisgat Ze’ev (built in the northern Jerusalem area on land confiscated from the Palestinian West Bank village of Hizma) and Har Homa(built in the southern Jerusalem area on land near Bethlehem, in an area Palestinians call Jabal Abu Ghneim).

Palestinian negotiators say that Israeli settlement activity is one of the biggest obstacles to peace — and to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

The White House spokeswoman Dana Perino also chimed in: “Our position on the settlements is that, you know, we don’t believe that any more settlements should be built. And we know that it exacerbates the tensions when it comes to the negotiations with the Palestinians”.

Meanwhile, Israel celebrated “Jerusalem Day” today.

Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a holiday speech at Ammunition Hill in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood that “Today, 41 years since the Six Day War, it is time, after a great delay, to finally close the chapters of war and write a new book for Jerusalem, with its title taken from the prophecy of Isaiah, which was heard in this city 2,700 years ago and which still resonates: “How pleasant are the footsteps of the herald upon the mountains announcing peace, heralding good tidings…” However, the realization of this prophecy is currently blocked by forces of darkness. Sons of darkness, full of twisted faith, radicalism and blind in the fanaticism of those who knowingly choose the path of terror and blood in order to impose their dark existence on all of us. While we try to create a horizon of peace, hope and light, the sons of darkness are occupied with schemes of indiscriminate killing. While we turn to the other side with our hand outstretched to shake hands, they squeeze the trigger. The firing of Qassam missiles towards the Gaza Envelope communities and the city of Sderot is intolerable and unforgivable. The sons of darkness will not be exonerated of this. I say to the residents of Sderot and the Gaza Envelope: my heart and thoughts are with you. You pay the ongoing price which effects your way of life, primarily that of your children. The hour of decision is approaching, after which you too will have the longed-for quiet. The threat towards you will also be removed, one way or another. I said in the past that I prefer the path of dialogue, and indeed the Government I lead is attempting to reach a truce in this manner, but as long as all the measured steps we take do not lead to the hoped-for calm, we will be forced to turn to the sword. We will brandish it in a heavy, sharp andpainful manner. In the hopes of avoiding this turning to the sword, we will all remember that the glory of Jerusalem, like our glory as a people, is not in wars. The glory of Jerusalem is in the heralding of peace, “nation shall not lift sword against nation”; in the heralding of justice, morality and the hope that ensued and shaped the values of the enlightened world … I believe there is no contradiction between the people of Israel’s total allegiance to Jerusalem and its unity and our ambitions to create peace within it. Jerusalem is a city of many peoples. We respect all believers, preserve their holy places and are wholly committed to freedom of religion, religious worship and conscience for all residents, visitors and lovers of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish people, the axis of identity, faith and history of our people for generations. Three times a day for thousands of years, believing Jews turn their faces towards Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The power of the emotions, and the expectation of Jerusalem which throbs in the hearts of Jews in the Diaspora - the passion of their yearning, the depth of their love and the sanctity of their prayers - they are unequaled, and secular words cannot describe them, only the language of the prophets and the poets can express them … The eternal Jewish love for and commitment to Jerusalem, which are deeper and stronger than any other, stood behind the decisions of the Israeli Government and Knesset to unify the city 41 years ago, with the support of the entire nation. They ensure Israeli sovereignty in historic and sacred Jerusalem forever” …

The UN does not recognize the Israeli unilateral extension of its sovereignty over Jerusalem — miuch less “Greater” Jerusalem.

Filed under: BAN Ki-Moon, International Law, Israel, Middle East Peace Process, Palestine & Palestinians, USA, United Nations