Summary
Israel's decision to accelerate planning for some 1,000 new settler homes in East Jerusalem raises serious doubts about the Jewish state's commitment to peace with the Palestinians, a senior U.N. official said Wednesday.
An Israeli government official said Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would expedite preparations for new settler homes in East Jerusalem.
The Israeli plans, along with Palestinian concerns about Jerusalem's holy sites, prompted the Palestinians to ask Jordan to request an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting in the hope that its 15 members would condemn recent Israeli actions.
Palestinian observer Riyad Mansour said that Israeli settlements were eroding the future Palestinian state, of which East Jerusalem is to be the capital.
Since the end of the Gaza war in August, tension has risen steadily in Arab East Jerusalem, with almost nightly clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.
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