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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| UK summons Israel ambassador over settlements | UK summons Israel ambassador over settlements |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The UK has summoned Israel's ambassador in London over the plans to expand settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories. | The UK has summoned Israel's ambassador in London over the plans to expand settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories. |
| The Foreign Office warned of a "strong reaction", but dismissed reports that the British ambassador in Tel Aviv could be withdrawn, as "speculation". | The Foreign Office warned of a "strong reaction", but dismissed reports that the British ambassador in Tel Aviv could be withdrawn, as "speculation". |
| Israel authorised 3,000 additional housing units a day after the UN voted to upgrade Palestinian status. | Israel authorised 3,000 additional housing units a day after the UN voted to upgrade Palestinian status. |
| The UN expressed "disappointment", but Israel has vowed to continue building. | The UN expressed "disappointment", but Israel has vowed to continue building. |
| The country's ambassador to London, Daniel Taub, has been called to the Foreign Office for a meeting with minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt. | |
| 'Reconsider' | 'Reconsider' |
| The government said Mr Burt would "set out the depth of the UK's concern about decisions concerning all settlement building". | The government said Mr Burt would "set out the depth of the UK's concern about decisions concerning all settlement building". |
| The British and French governments have made their displeasure at Israel's latest settlement announcement clear, and there are hints that further steps could be taken. | |
| The threat to build in the area designated E1, east of Jerusalem, has especially annoyed Western governments - indeed, successive US administrations have been given assurances by Israel that it would not build there. Construction in E1 would effectively cut the West Bank into two and form a settlement barrier to the eastern approaches of Jerusalem. | |
| Indications from Israel had suggested that its initial response to the UN General Assembly vote granting the Palestinians permanent observer status would be largely rhetorical. There's a sense in the air that the diplomatic climate is changing but no real evidence as yet that Washington - the critical player - is again ready to invest in the elusive quest for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. | |
| A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The Foreign Secretary [William Hague] has consistently made it very clear that settlement building, such as the recent Israeli government decision to build 3,000 new housing units, threatens the two-state solution and makes progress through negotiations harder to achieve. | A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The Foreign Secretary [William Hague] has consistently made it very clear that settlement building, such as the recent Israeli government decision to build 3,000 new housing units, threatens the two-state solution and makes progress through negotiations harder to achieve. |
| "We have called on the Israeli government to reconsider. We have told the Israeli government that if they go ahead with their decision, then there will be a strong reaction." | "We have called on the Israeli government to reconsider. We have told the Israeli government that if they go ahead with their decision, then there will be a strong reaction." |
| The spokesman added: "Any decision about any other measures the UK might take will depend on the outcome of our discussions with the Israeli government and with international partners including the US and European Union." | |
| The UK abstained in Friday's UN vote on upgrading the Palestinian status, but the organisation's General Assembly backed the move by 138 votes to nine. | |
| Israel announced its building plans for the "E1" area between East Jerusalem and the West Bank on Saturday. | |
| UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Palestinians in East Jerusalem could be completely cut off from the rest of the West Bank by the proposed development. | UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Palestinians in East Jerusalem could be completely cut off from the rest of the West Bank by the proposed development. |
| But, at a meeting on Sunday of the Israeli cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Palestinian campaign at the UN as a "gross violation" of previous agreements with Israel. | But, at a meeting on Sunday of the Israeli cabinet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Palestinian campaign at the UN as a "gross violation" of previous agreements with Israel. |
| He brushed off international criticism of Israel's settlement plans, saying: "We will carry on building in Jerusalem and in all the places that are on the map of Israel's strategic interests." | He brushed off international criticism of Israel's settlement plans, saying: "We will carry on building in Jerusalem and in all the places that are on the map of Israel's strategic interests." |
| Two decades of on-off negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have failed to produce a permanent settlement, with the latest round of direct negotiations breaking down in 2010. | Two decades of on-off negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have failed to produce a permanent settlement, with the latest round of direct negotiations breaking down in 2010. |