In an about-face from a day earlier, Israel's housing minister yesterday said he never intended to pursue a massive construction plan for east Jerusalem that sparked Palestinian outrage and a chilly reception from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Palestinians want Jerusalem's eastern sector, which Israel captured from Jordan in 1967 and later annexed, for the capital of a future state. They view any plans for new Israeli construction there as undermining newly relaunched peace talks.

On Wednesday, Housing Minister Zeev Boim said his ministry was looking into building a new Jewish neighborhood with 10,000 apartments in east Jerusalem to ease a housing crunch in the city.

"The Housing Ministry must provide a solution to the housing shortage in Jerusalem," Boim said.

But yesterday, Boim said he rejected the idea of building the neighborhood when it was brought before him - something he didn't say on Wednesday when talking to media. "The subject of a possible exploration (of the plan) was brought before me, but I suggested that we drop it," he told Israel Radio. His office issued a statement saying "there are no plans for the building of a neighborhood at Atarot, Jerusalem."

According to spokesman Eran Sidis, the plan to build the neighborhood in Atarot was one of several options presented to Boim after he asked the government's land authority to identify potential construction sites.

"This obviously was ruled out, because of the sensitive nature of the peace talks," Sidis said. "We wouldn't even dream of doing it. ... We ruled it out categorically."

On Wednesday, Boim, a member of Olmert's ruling Kadima Party, acknowledged the timing was "sensitive," but said that was no reason to freeze his office's activities.

"The sensitivity is understood, but we must say that unfortunately since Jerusalem was declared Israel's capital there has been no time without similar sensitivities," Boim said.

"My opinion is that our sovereignty over Jerusalem can't be divided," he said in a separate interview on Wednesday with Army Radio.

In its 40 years of control over east Jerusalem, Israel has built new neighborhoods there that are now home to 180,000 Israelis. The international community has never recognized Israeli control, saying the city's future must be decided in negotiations between the sides.

Agencies

(China Daily 12/21/2007 page8)