The Day In Israel: Thurs Nov 19th, 2009
David Lange
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With Israeli’s announcement that it will press forward with construction of 900 apartments in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood being followed by some Obama seething (not to mention seething of the EU kind), Member of Knesset Danny Danon made a valid point.
“President Obama should not interfere with the rights of the Jewish people to live in Jerusalem,” said Danon. “This … is a racist demand, saying that Jews cannot live in Jerusalem, only Arabs.”
He’s right. I wonder how Obama would react to demands from another country that African Americans not be allowed to live in parts of the US.
Meanwhile, just to give you an idea of Israeli feelings about this, Opposition leader Tzipi Livni – who today blasted the Prime Minister – had this to say.
Britain and France have also condemned the construction in Gilo, but in Israel – as Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni stressed to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner – there is consensus on the Jerusalem neighborhood.
Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)
10:50PM: Israel’s plans to build 900 new residential units in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood are “unforgivable and dangerous”..according to the country who has constructed nuclear facilities for nefarious purposes.
6:05PM: China has criticized the Israeli government’s move to expand a Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem, saying it poses new obstacles to the Middle East peace process.
Funny, because I was sure China’s idea of an “obstacle” was this:
5:52PM: In Newsweek, Dan Senor and Saul Singer, authors of Start up Nation- the Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, answer the questions:
How does Israel—with fewer people than the state of New Jersey, no natural resources, and hostile nations all around—produce more tech companies listed on the NASDAQ than all of Europe, Japan, South Korea, India, and China combined? How does Israel attract, per person, 30 times as much venture capital as Europe and more than twice the flow to American companies? How does it produce, for its size, the most cutting-edge technology startups in the world?
5:30PM: PA President Mahmoud Abbas has said a Middle East peace deal will not happen with him.
He’s right, but I posit it’s because he and his Fatah party are a bunch of terrorists.
And still on the subject..
Palestinian supporters of the Fatah movement loyal to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, seen, during a march in the west bank city of Nablus. Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009.
5:38AM: With many such as the Obama administration and EU up in arms about Jewish construction in Jerusalem, Israel National News notes the Jerusalem Municipality’s plans for construction on Arab housing.
The Jerusalem Municipality is plowing ahead with plans for construction of more than 5,000 housing units in Arab neighborhoods. These include the following:
- A master plan for the Tel Adasa neighborhood in northern Jerusalem, where 2,000 new housing units are planned.
- A master plan for the Arab a-Sawahara area for a new housing compound with 2,500 units that is currently being prepared for discussion at the local council and district council levels.
- A master plan for the Dir el-Amud and Al-Muntar areas in Beit Safafa in southeastern Jerusalem, currently in advanced planning stages.
- A construction plan for 172 housing units and public buildings at the Jabal Mukabar neighborhood, which has completed the mandatory waiting period and will soon come up for additional discussion and approval in the district council.
Meanwhile, with the mainstream media assaulting us with photos such as this, it is important to note that such homes are illegal, and were demolished pursuant to the Israeli legal system.
The municipality noted that it is also destroying illegal structures in the Arab sector. Three buildings were demolished Wednesday: a structure, 90 square meters in size, that was built on public land in Isawiya; a structure in Wadi Hilwah, also built on public land, sized 32 square meters; and three temporary structures in Silwan that served as pens for sheep and horses. All of the structures were razed after courts ordered them to be torn down.
12:30AM: A closer look at Jerusalem’s 9-11 memorial.
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David Lange
