Tel Aviv: The Israeli government will not limit construction in disputed areas of Jerusalem, despite Palestinians' protests and the global community's disapproval, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has said.
The issue of settlement building was in the spotlight again after Israel announced earlier this week construction of 800 homes for Jewish families in East Jerusalem. The step was criticised by the European Union, Russia and others.
"We are not putting any limitations on building in Jerusalem, it is our capital," Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting Sunday.
"The same way that [states] build in every capital - London, Paris, Washington, Moscow - Israel builds in Jerusalem," he added. "Our bond to our capital is no less ancient and powerful."
Israel has declared Jerusalem, including the eastern sector of the city it has occupied since 1967 and later annexed, as its "united and undivided" capital.
The Palestinians, however, claim their right to create a capital in the city for their state, and the international community recognises East Jerusalem as occupied territory, along with the West Bank of the Jordan river.
IANS
First Published: Monday, October 22, 2012, 13:51