RAMALLAH — Israel's plans for new settler homes are accelerating Palestinian moves to appeal to the Hague court over Jewish settlement policy, a senior official said Wednesday. “The intensification of settlement activity and all the Israeli actions, from killings to arrests, are pushing us to accelerate our recourse to the International Criminal Court,” said Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh. His remarks came as Israel pressed forward with construction in a new East Jerusalem settlement, part of a series of new building plans that have drawn worldwide rebuke, including from its closest ally, the United States. The Jerusalem Planning Committee approved 2,612 housing units in the Givat Hamatos settlement on Jerusalem's southern rim, said City Councilor Pepe Alalu. The area, inhabited by a few dozen Jewish and Palestinian families who live in rundown trailers, would be the first new settlement to be built in east Jerusalem since 1997. Alalu, who voted against the project, said construction could begin in a year. The approval comes despite unusually harsh criticism from Washington, which Tuesday accused Israel of engaging in a “pattern of provocative action.” Netanyahu has repeatedly brushed off international condemnations of his latest settlement plans. “We are committed to our capital, we are committed to peace and we will build in Jerusalem for all its residents,” he said. With their new-found rank of non-member observer state at the United Nations, the Palestinians could potentially have access to the ICC in The Hague, sparking fears they could sue Israeli officials for war crimes — particularly over settlement building. Shortly after winning the UN upgrade on Nov. 29, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he had no plans to immediately approach the tribunal which would only be possible after the Palestinians first sign and ratify the Rome Statute. Shtayyeh said the recent spate of approvals was not linked to the UN bid, but part of “an electoral campaign for the rightwing government” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of a general election on Jan. 22. “These (decisions) are the death announcement for the two-state solution,” he said. Last week, Shtayyeh said a Palestinian legal team was looking into which international bodies to join, including the ICC and the International Court of Justice, warning that Israel's actions were “pushing” them down that route faster than they had wanted. Some 200,000 Israelis live in settlement neighborhoods of East Jerusalem with another 340,000 in the rest of the occupied West Bank. Building in Givat HaMatos would mark the start of the first new settlement neighborhood in East Jerusalem since the establishment of Har Homa in 1997. That settlement, near the site of Givat HaMatos, was set up during Netanyahu's first term of office. The move has infuriated the Palestinians who said its construction would complete a ring of Jewish settlements around East Jerusalem, effectively cutting it off from the rest of the West Bank. The Peace Now watchdog has described Givat HaMatos as “a game changer” which would significantly change the possible border between Israel and a future Palestinian state. — Agencies
