Construction in Jerusalem will never freeze

Today, the Israelian Interior Minister Eli Yishai declared that he plans to expand the constructions all over Israel. Those plans also include  the Palestinian territories and even East-Jerusalem. “There is not and never has been a freeze on construction in Jerusalem, nor will there ever be”, said the minister to the newspaper HaAretz.

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch went further. In a speech he held at a Knesset plenum this week, he stated that Israel will continue to destroy  Arab settlements in East Jerusalem.He said that the demolishions have been postponed in the last months because of the negotiations between Israel and the USA. But they will be carried into execution in the near future.

Defense minister Ehud Barak assailed those ministers who may disturb the peace process between Israel and Palestine. “I recommend everyone, both we and the Palestinians, avoid rash and provocative statements,” he said. He stated that those comments do not only harm Israel’s relationship to the USA, but also Israel’s reputation in the international community.

The U.S. government pronounced a warning against Israel. Destroying the Arab settlements could harm the peace process in a  way that no one can estimate. “Our policy on Jerusalem remains unchanged. The status of Jerusalem is an issue that should be resolved in permanent status negotiations between the parties. This underlines the importance of making progress in the proximity talks to enable the parties to move to direct negotiations that will resolve this and other issues once and for all,” said the U.S. official.

No passing without the right passport

Ahmad Sabah wants to go home. The 40-year-old Palestinian has been in an Israeli jail since 2001. He has been released from prison last week. The public authorities made him move to Gaza even though his family lives in the West Bank. The reason is: His Palestinian ID does not issue there but in Gaza. Sabah has refused to cross the border. “It is my right to return to my wife and family”, he said to Al Jazeera.

In Israel, there are strict instructions concerning entry of Israel and the West Bank. According to informations of the German Department of Foreign Affairs, there are particular laws for Palestinian citizens. For example, it is not allowed for Palestinians to travel into the West Bank and then to come back to Israel in a direct way. Even for people with both a  German and a Palestinian passport, there is no way to get into the country from the West Bank side. Instead, they have to take a route via Jordan to entry Israel.

Since Tuesday 13th, a new policy has been implemented in Israel. The military policy says that all Palestinians in the  West Bank who do not carry a valid identity card can be classified as “infiltrators”. This means they could face deportation or up to seven years in prison.  Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli government told Al Jazeera that this order should clear the rigths of the Palestinians. The Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayad says in contrast that it threatens the people. “The order targets thousands of Palestinians from Gaza who work and live in the West Bank and could lead to their forced deportation to the Gaza Strip.”