Lieberman: No settlement freeze in Jerusalem

Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has stressed that his government would not freeze construction work in occupied Jerusalem.

Lieberman was quoted by Hebrew media on Tuesday as saying that Israel will not bow to pressures, adding, “No country in the world would approve restricting construction in its capital”.

The minister, who was responding to American demand for such a freeze in order to return to indirect negotiations with the Palestinians, said that his government had offered enough of goodwill gestures and now the others have to offer concessions.

In a related development, Dr. Hasasn Khater, the secretary general of the Islamic-Christian commissions in support of Jerusalem and holy sites, on Monday said that the situation in occupied Jerusalem was extremely serious after the Israeli inauguration of the ruin synagogue.

He said that Jewish fanatics were installing boxes at the entrances to occupied Jerusalem and the Old City asking for donations for the building of the alleged temple.

Khater pointed to accelerating activity for Jewish fanatic settlers in the holy city after opening the ruin synagogue, and mentioned the intensified activity to wipe out Arab and Islamic landmarks of occupied Jerusalem along with the building of synagogues and judaizing the Old City.