Take your pick. Was the announcement of planning approval for the construction of 1,600 apartment units in Ramat Shlomo, in northeast Jerusalem, a case of clumsy timing, insofar as it came during the visit of Vice President Joe Biden, meant to inaugurate the start of indirect negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Or was it a routine step in the planning process, prior to actual construction, consistent with the explicit decision of the Israeli government not to freeze construction within its definition of the Jerusalem municipality.
Whatever you select, it has been an occasion for Palestinians to cancel their agreement to begin indirect negotiations, and has provoked sharp responses from Vice President Biden, the White House and State Department, as well as--so far--leading officials of Germany, Australia, Brazil, and the Arab League.
Vice President Biden "boiled" in his response, according to media sources. He said that the action could escalate violence throughout the Middle East, and might endanger American troops in Iraq.
Why not Afghanistan, as well?
Someone in the State Department said that Israel's demand for tougher sanctions on Iran will now fall on deaf ears.
Perhaps this is the opportunity for the American administration to blame Israel for several of its predictable failures throughout the area.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu is saying that he did not know about the decision until the planning authorities announced it. He criticized Interior Minister Eli Yishai for the timing. Yishai also pleads innocent, and points to the independence of the planning committees that report to his ministry. From somewhere down in the ministry comes the explanation that the announcement was a routine announcement, and not meant to embarrass anyone. Ministry officials say that there are perhaps 20 planning approvals for projects throughout Israel announced each day.
Ramat Shlomo is a neighborhood designed for, and populated by ultra-Orthodox Jews, many of whom support Yishai's SHAS party.
A day prior to Biden's visit, Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced the construction of 221 apartment units in Beitar Illit. This is a town for ultra-Orthodox Jews located outside of the Jerusalem municipality, close to the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem and Hebron. Insofar as it is in the West Bank, Beitar Illit falls within the responsibility of the Defense Ministry. Although this approval is an explicit exception from the temporary freeze that the Israeli government accepted for the West Bank, it did not provoke the nastiness of the responses toward Ramat Shlomo.
While some insist that Israelis must recognize the special sensitivity of Jerusalem, others say that sensitivities must go in both directions. That is, Muslim must recognize Israel's special concern for Jerusalem, and be prepared to compromise on the Temple Mount as well as other sites. And just as Arabs may live in Jewish neighborhoods, Jews must be able to live in Arab neighborhoods.
Expressions of regret for the timing have come from the prime minister and the minister of interior, with both reiterating government policy to continue building in Jerusalem. The banner headline on the front page of Ha'aretz is that there are plans at various stages of formulation for a total of 50,000 apartment units in areas of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians.
Also on the front page of Ha'aretz is a report of a supermarket ad campaign, with individuals made up to resemble the photos of the people said to be Mossad agents who killed a prominent Hamas operative in Dubai. The message is that merchandise will be liquidated by low prices.
Some of you may remember Alred E. Neuman. What Me Worry?
Who's mad?
* The current Israeli government for flaunting the tolerance of the international community.
* The American administration, for thinking it might force the Israeli government to accept Palestinian demands.
* Americans and others, including Israelis mostly to the left of this government, who think that peace between Israel and Palestine is only a matter of agreeing to one or another detail, and that the underlying issues of Palestinian rejectionism and Israeli insecurity are not important.
Or all of the above.
Ira Sharkansky (Emeritus)
Department of Political Science
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Tel: +972-2-532-2725
Fax +972-2-582-9144
irashark@gmail.com