Israel’s Interior Ministry said the homes would be built in Gilo, a sprawling Jewish enclave in southeast Jerusalem. It said construction could begin after a mandatory 60-day period for public comment, a process that is largely a formality. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their future capital. They have demanded that Israel halt all settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the adjacent West Bank territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war as a condition for resuming peace talks. Israel says east Jerusalem, home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, is an eternal part of its undivided capital. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, swiftly condemned the Israeli decision, saying it amounted to “1,100 no’s to the resumption of peace talks.” He urged the United States, Israel s closest and most important ally, to change its position and support the Palestinians in their quest for UN membership. With peace talks stalled for the past three years, the Palestinians last week asked the United Nations to recognize an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. The US opposes the measure and has vowed to veto the request in the Security Council. Like Israel, the US says a Palestinian state can only be established through negotiations.
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