Outrage over Israeli colony plans

Ramallah, West Bank: Outraged by the latest Israeli move to expand Jewish colonies in occupied East Jerusalem, Arab states on Wednesday threatened to withdraw their support to the resumption of peace talks.

In a rare public rebuke of Israel, US Vice-President Joe Biden and UN chief Ban Ki-moon also condemned the Israeli decision to build 1,600 new colonist homes in occupied East Jerusalem. France said it was "illegal" and ill-timed.

Arab states will respond "clearly" to the Israeli decision, Qatari Prime Minister Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Al Thani told reporters in Doha after a meeting with Arab League chief Amr Mousa.

Scepticism

Arab foreign ministers had agreed last week to back one last round of indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks despite their scepticism over Israel's readiness to revive peace efforts.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday telephoned Mousa calling for "urgent policy measures" in response to "the escalating Israeli provocations," his office said without elaborating.

"The insult has reached a point that not a single Arab could accept," Mousa told reporters.

Shaikh Hamad said representatives of Arab states will be meeting in Cairo "and there will be a clear decision in response to this Israeli act".

"This is absurd. It is disdainful of the Arab and the Palestinian positions and the American mediation," said Hussam Zaki, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee member Yasser Abed Rabbo said some Arab states have withdrawn their support for the indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The US Vice-President, who met Palestinian leaders on Wednesday, said the Israeli decision is undermining the peace efforts he is promoting. He also stressed the US administration's commitment to the creation of a viable Palestinian state.

"I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units [colonies] in [occupied] East Jerusalem. The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel," Biden said in a statement.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon reiterated that "settlements [colonies] are illegal under international law".

Israel, meanwhile, scrambled to quell US anger and apologised for "disrupting" Biden's visit. Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai, whose office announced the construction, claimed the problem was about timing, not substance.

Biden said the US would hold both sides accountable for any statements or actions "that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of talks, as this decision did".