Germany condemns Israeli plans for new settlements

GERMANY: Germany on Monday condemned Israel's plan to build hundreds of new homes in occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank, calling it unacceptable and a threat to the Middle East peace process.

"We hope to soon see a resumption of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The announcement of plans to expand settlements in certain places is certainly not helpful," foreign ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger said.

"The government believes that pursuing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem at this point in time is unacceptable. We see it as posing a potential danger to the peace process."

He said Germany urged Israel to refrain from building new settlements and to evacuate existing ones, which he said undermine the creation of the Palestinian state foreseen by the international roadmap for Middle East peace.

"Settlement activity places a question mark over the viability and continuity of a future Palestinian state and therefore the international community has taken a clear, unambiguous position on this matter," he said.

"We demand an end to building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the evacuation of all illegal settlements."

Authorities in Jerusalem said on Monday they planned to build a new Jewish settlement of around 400 homes in the annexed eastern part of the city, which Palestinians want as the capital of their promised state. At the weekend Israel also announced plans to build hundreds of new housing units in a settlement in the West Bank.

The announcements followed Thursday's attack on a Jewish religious school in west Jerusalem in which a Palestinian gunman shot dead eight people. The international community has never recognised Israel's claim to east Jerusalem and Palestinians have demanded a halt to settlement activity in all areas occupied in the 1967 war.

Jaeger said Berlin "obviously" wanted to discuss the issue with Israel. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Israel on March 16 with several cabinet ministers for a high level visit. Berlin, Tuesday, AFP