President Barack Obama's "sharp rebuke" of Israel for planning to build a new neighborhood in the West Bank of east Jerusalem is "anti-American" and "doesn't bode well for peace," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
told CBS News' Bob Scheiffer on "Face the Nation."
Netanyahu said he had a good meeting at the White House with Obama and was "baffled" when afterward Obama released such a harsh criticism of Israel for planning a 2,400-unit development.
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"What they didn't tell you is that 700 of those units are designated for the Arab residents of Jerusalem," Netanyahu said. "What is this affront to peace? Why can't Jews and Arabs live together?
"This whole line that says that Jews cannot buy apartments in Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish people for last the 3,000 years as King David. Or you cannot have mixed housing projects for Jews and Arabs, I think this is anti-peace. I think condemning it is wrong."
The Israeli prime minister characterized the criticism as "anti-American," pointing out that there would be an "uproar" if someone in the U.S. said Jews could not buy private homes in a particular neighborhood.
After last week's meeting between Obama and Netanyahu, Obama warned Israel that the housing development would upset Israel's "closest allies" and cause the world to question Israel's commitment to seeking peace with Palestinians,
Fox News reports.
Netanyahu said he found the statement puzzling considering Jews have long bought private homes in the predominantly Arab east Jerusalem while Arabs have done the same in the mostly Jewish occupied west Jerusalem.
"The idea that we'd have this ethnic purification as a condition for peace . . . I think it's anti-peace and should be condemned," he said.
According to The Associated Press, the international community does not recognize Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem. The area was seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War and is desired by the Palestinians as part of a future independent state. Israel says east Jerusalem is part of its capital and that housing developments there are neighborhoods of the city. The United States, and the larger international community, consider Israeli construction in east Jerusalem to be "illegitimate settlement activity,"
according to the AP.
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