Netanyahu: "We must build in Jerusalem!"

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 |  Israel Today Staff

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for a special meeting of the Security Council demanding international intervention to investigate "Israeli attacks" in Jerusalem as well as "attacks" by "Jewish settlers" on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Palestinians want a ban on Israeli building beyond the "Green Line" including in Eastern Jerusalem. In response Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We have every right to build in Jerusalem."

At the opening of the winter session of the Israeli parliament Netanyahu said that, "the violence we are experiencing is not as a result of construction activities in Jerusalem. The violence is rather due to the desire of Israel's enemies, that we should not be here." The Prime Minister criticized the Palestinian demands of their own state without guarantees of peace and security. "They demand our withdrawal, their right of return of Palestinian "refugees" and the division of Jerusalem. But they refuse the elementary prerequisite of peace between the two nations. Mutual recognition!"

Meanwhile, Jordan supports the Palestinian call for a special session of the Security Council. The Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said that Israeli construction plans in the Palestinian territories are "a slap in the face of the international efforts to bring the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians back on track."

Israeli diplomats are planning a counter-action by calling for official recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization by the United Nations. Israeli officials are currently communicating with senior representatives of the world community, to inform them of the construction and purpose of terror tunnels, the crime of using the Palestinian civilians as human shields and the shelling of Israeli civilians by Hamas.

While politicians and diplomats are talking masked Arab rioters continued their riots and unrest in Jerusalem and environs in against police and security forces the Eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan, Ras al-Amud and Isawiya.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat testified before the Knesset Home Affairs Committee, that even before Operation Protective Edge, there had been about 200 stone-throwing cases against Jewish institutions and properties in Jerusalem. Currently about 5000 incidents have been recorded during the last month. The stone-throwing at cars and the fire-bomb attacks are life-threatening actions." MK Miri Regev, Chairman of the Committee, called for tougher action by security forces, "East Jerusalem is part of our capital. Whoever riots in Jerusalem, should be treated the same as rioters in Taiybe or Tel Aviv," she said.

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