On Monday during a tour of Mea Shearim, a haredi neighborhood bordering on Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, US Ambassador to Israel Richard H. Jones told The Jerusalem Post that the US was "concerned about where things are built in Jerusalem."
Haredi Israelis shopping in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem [illustrative].
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski
Referring to the overcrowded haredi neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Jones said he was aware of the shortage of housing, but added: "Sometimes people do have to move to a different location. They cannot always stay close to their families."
Commenting on Israeli settlements beyond the Green Line, Jones said that "Israel has commitments and it is important that they begin honoring those commitments and that is part of a dialogue, part of the Annapolis process, part of the implementation of the Road Map."
"I am optimistic there is a desire on the part of both leaders, of both governments, to work according to the division that President Bush has laid out." Jones added. "It was reaffirmed in Annapolis and launched in negotiations; obviously there are a lot of events going on, a lot of people looking to disrupt the process. It is not easy for either side to move ahead when they see the provocative behavior of the other side."
