J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement in response to the announcement of new Israeli construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem:
J Street is deeply disappointed by today’s announcement that the Jerusalem municipal planning committee and the Israeli Ministry of Defense have approved new construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We are particularly concerned that this announcement came just as Israeli President Shimon Peres was preparing to meet with President Obama. Unilateral moves such as continued settlement expansion only undermine the prospects for a two-state solution and jeopardize Israel’s future as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people.