Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called the Obama administration’s demand for a construction freeze in eastern Jerusalem a “slap in the face.”
Barkat during a meeting with reporters in Washington on Tuesday night also denied that there is a de facto freeze on building in Jewish neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem.
“There are more buildings being built right now,” Barkat said. “In a place like Jerusalem, we need to build for both Jews and Arabs. If we give the Palestinians any hold at all on the city, it will be a Trojan horse for the Jews in Jerusalem.”
Regarding the strained relations between the United States and Israel, which began after the Jerusalem municipality approved new housing construction in eastern Jerusalem during a visit in March by Vice President Joe Biden, Barkat said, “It takes time to recover from an attack by an ally such as the U.S., but I believe that the tensions are now behind us.”
Barkat said there will be announcements soon of new housing construction following the temporary halt to construction due to the U.S. reprimand.
The Jerusalem mayor is scheduled to meet Wednesday with U.S. State Department officials, according to reports. Barkat is not part of the delegation of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak now visiting Washington and New York.
