"Yesterday, with the announcement of indirect talks, we heard some cautions words of optimism from both Israelis and Palestinians.  Today, with these new settlement plans in the headlines, we see that optimism already fading.  As we said yesterday, negotiations - including indirect talks - cannot succeed unless all sides act with good faith.  Announcing plans for East Jerusalem construction is a perfect example of what Israel cannot be doing if it is acting in good faith and wants to be taken seriously as a partner in negotiations.  This announcement is a slap in the face of not only the Palestinians, the Arab states, and the Obama Administration, but of the entire peace effort.  

"The fact that the announcement coincided with the visit to Israel of Vice President Joseph Biden only adds insult to injury.  We applaud Vice President Biden for clearly condemning the plan but we repeat what we said yesterday:  if there is to be real progress, the US role must include 'heavy lifting' -- meaning real pressure on the parties to get serious about negotiations and meaning, sooner rather than later, the laying down of clear US principles on the key final status issues."

For any further inquiries, Ori can be contacted via email at:  ONir@peacenow.org