EGYPT: ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU DEFENDS HIS GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO BUILD JEWISH HOMES IN ARAB EAST JERUSAELM

Record ID: 399941

  • Title: EGYPT: ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU DEFENDS HIS GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO BUILD JEWISH HOMES IN ARAB EAST JERUSAELM
  • Date: 5th March 1997
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (MARCH 5, 1997) (RTV ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV PRESIDENTIAL PALACE 0.03 2. SLV/SV ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU MEETS EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK AT PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, LEADERS SHAKE HANDS (2 SHOTS) 0.27 3. CU FLAGS 0.30 4. SLV NETANYAHU AND MUBARAK AT NEWS CONFERENCE 0.38 5. SV EGYPTIAN PRE
  • Embargoed: 20th March 1997 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
  • City:
  • Country: Egypt
  • Reuters ID: LVADY7GGUHOLPDMFM5ATELMTBELN
  • Story Text: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his government's decision to build Jewish homes in Arab east Jerusalem saying the land was mainly owned by Jewish people and that he was building more houses for Arabs than for Jews. Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, said such expansion will only create problems in the future when the time comes to establish the status of Jerusalem.

    Netanyahu made his statement at a joint press conference in Cairo on Wednesday (March 5) with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

    Mubarak said the issue of Jerusalem is "very warm" and complicated but that he hoped the problems which have dogged the divided city will soon be resolved.

    The Egyptian leader is said to have told Netanyahu of the dire consequences of Israel's plan to build more hoses for Jews in the city.

    But Netanyahu suggested the Palestinians' anger was misplaced.

    Israel plans to build 3,015 units for Arab families in Jerusalem, he said, and most of the Har Homa site where the Jewish homes will be built is privately owned by Jews.

    What Isarel calls Har Homa is known by Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim, and was confiscated by Israel in the 1967 war.

    Palestinians see the construction at Jabal Abu Ghneim as an attempt to block its demand for East Jerusalem to become capital of a Palestinian state. Palestine leader Yasser Arafat has said the move violated commitments by Israel's former Labour government.

    Netanyahu retaliated by accusing the Palestinian leadership of not keeping to the terms of the Oslo agreement by failing to take against against those who had attacked Israel and called for a complete revision of the Palestinian Charter.


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