[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: The wall-to-wall response in Kadima supporting
construction on Har Homa - including Chaim Ramon on Israel Radio this
morning - serves to improve its image in the Israeli public. It remains to
be seen if U.S.Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice takes this beyond her
remarks last Friday, escalating the move from the "doesn't help to build
confidence" category to an out and out violation. Rice's team knows that if
they go beyond such remarks that the PA could easily come the next day with
a complaint about building activity in French Hill and Ramat Eshkol and they
will find themselves drawn even further into positions that make it just
that much easier to rally public opinion against the entire "piece process"
.]

Rice: Har Homa homes harm talks
By Barak Ravid and Jonathan Lis Last update - 01:30 09/12/2007
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/932400.html

U.S.Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday the plan to build 307
new housing units in Jerusalem's Har Homa neighborhood beyond the Green Line
does not help the peace process.

"I've made clear that we're in a time when the goal is to build maximum
confidence between the parties, and this doesn't help to build confidence."
She spoke after meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on the issue.

Haaretz reported Thursday that senior American diplomats had told senior
Israeli officials that the administration sought clarifications on the plan
to build the units at Har Homa. The project was made public at the beginning
of the week.

Rice said she had brought up the matter with Livni in a phone call and at
Brussels. "It is even more important now that we are really on the eve of
the beginning" of negotiations, she said.

Government officials said there is no tension between Israel and the U.S.
over Har Homa.

Livni said in a speech at NATO headquarters that Israel is ready to do its
part in the road map, but expects the Palestinians to fight terror. She said
only the two parties in the conflict can make decisions about their future.

Livni added that Israel wanted to end the conflict with the understanding
that it would have to make territorial concessions to create a Palestinian
state. She said Israel had dismantled settlements in Gaza and would be
prepared to dismantle more settlements in the West Bank.

Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim was critical of Rice's statements on Har Homa.

"Secretary Rice is to be praised for her part in getting the peace process
restarted, but it is inconceivable that at every opportunity this will be
tied to construction in Jerusalem," he said.

"The neighborhood of Har Homa is within the municipal boundaries of
Jerusalem to which Israeli law applies. Accordingly, there is no obstacle to
building there as there is no obstacle to building anywhere else in Israel."

Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, who is in a reelection campaign, said
construction at Har Homa was not political, but would alleviate a housing
shortage.