BERLIN — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel gave no ground on Thursday over his plans to expand Jewish settlements, which have been widely criticized by the country’s European allies.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin with Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, Netanyahu said the 3,000 new homes planned for settlers represented ‘‘a consistent policy’’ that Israel would continue under any eventual peace deal it might reach with Palestinians.
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It's surprising that the Israeli government accepts the "settlement" description for Jewish apartment complexes on the edge of Jerusalem. This land was captured by Israeli troops during an earlier war with Arab armies. There has never been and there is not yet an independent Palestinian state so this land is not "occupied territory." There is no reason why Jews shouldn't build homes on land in or near Jersusalem, the capital of Israel.