Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Thursday refused to apologize for building in Jerusalem after the US criticized Israeli plans to construct 2,610 homes in the neighborhood of Givat Hamatos, which is beyond the Green Line.
I say this firmly and clearly: building in Jerusalem is not poisonous and harmful – rather, it is essential, important and will continue with full force. I will not freeze construction for anyone in Israel's capital. Discrimination based on religion, race or gender is illegal in the United States and in any other civilized country," Barkat said.
"2,600 apartments in Givat HaMatos that we approved two years ago will enable more young people from all sectors and religions to live in Jerusalem and build their future here, thereby strengthening the capital of Israel. We will not apologize for that," he added.
The Jerusalem Municipality gave its final approval to the project in December 2012 but it took almost two years to work out very technical details relating to the property, according to a city spokeswoman. As a result, news of the approval was only published in the local press on Wednesday, September 24. Such publication is the last step before tenders can be issued.
The September 24th publication was largely ignored until Wednesday, when Peace Now issued a report on the Givat HaMatos project hours before Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with US President Barack Obama in the White House.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest and State Department spokeswoman Jan Psaki both slammed Israel in very harsh language for moving forward with planning for homes in the Givat Hamatos area in south Jerusalem.
Netanyahu later told NBC, "I think they (the Obama administration) should be acquainted with the facts first. You know? First of all, these are not settlements. These are neighborhoods of Jerusalem. We have Arab neighborhoods and we have Jewish neighborhoods."
He added that the harsh remarks by the White House and State Department spokespersons "did not make him feel good." But the Givat HaMatos project did not come up during the conversation with Obama, Netanyahu said. "We didn't discuss it. I have to tell you."
Speaking to Israeli reporters in New York after having returned from Washington, Netanyahu accused Peace Now of trying to harm his talks with the US.
Peace Now Executive Director Yariv Oppenheimer said on Thursday morning that “Netanyahu has only himself to blame. He is responsible for authorizing building in sensitive areas like Givat Hamatos.
“The prime minister should reserve for himself and his ministers his frustration over the destructive impact of his policies on Israel foreign relations,” Oppenheimer said.
That frustration should not be leveled at Peace Now which is working to preserve the last opportunity to advance a two-state solution, he said.
Netanyahu was incorrect when he said that the September 24th publication of the project’s authorization, which was published almost two years after the municipality issued its approval, was insignificant. “That publication was significant. It removes the last barrier to the issuance of tenders and the start of construction. In the past, when the prime minister wanted to avoid embarrassment, he ordered the Jerusalem Municipality to halt construction plans that lacked his authorization,” Oppenheimer said.