CAIRO: Egypt has declared its "shock over recent Israeli plans to build more settlements in East Jerusalem, saying that this is in direct contravention of the agreement drawn up between the Palestinians and Israelis in Annapolis late last month. Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has claimed that Israel has already contradicted the commitments made in Annapolis, which were based on the existing and long-stalled Road Map agreement. The minister was commenting on an Israeli bid to build 300 housing units in the Abu Ghoneim Mountain settlement in East Jerusalem, the part of the city that is populated by the Palestinians. "Yes, the continued building of settlements does mean that Annapolis failed, as we all expected, CEO of the Palestinian Ramattan News Agency Qassem Ali told Daily News Egypt. "In the last 10 years since [the] Oslo [accords], the amount of settlement building has increased threefold, Ali added, "negotiations always mean more settlements, because there is increased security for the settlers as there is a supposed peace in place. Ali believes that for the Israelis, negotiations are merely a ploy under which the number of settlements are increased, while Israel pretends to the world that it is chasing peace. The Annapolis meeting held in the US on Nov. 27 was supposed to be a coup for the Bush administration as it brought the Arabs and the Israelis to the same table. The result of the meeting was a document signed by both the Palestinians and Israelis in which they agreed to resume the dormant negotiation process and eventually work towards the creation of a Palestinian state. Although Egypt had been a strong supporter of Annapolis, and immediately accepted the invitation to attend, the latest news of settlement building in the Eastern part of Jerusalem - which Aboul Gheit has previously stated should be the capital of the future Palestinian state - has led to grave Egyptian concerns. A Foreign Ministry statement said that Aboul Gheit was "shocked over news of the housing units in Abu Ghoneim. Speaking after a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Aboul Gheit said "such news was worth condemnation, being contradictory to Israel's commitments at the Annapolis Conference and the procedures of trust establishment which Israel should abide by, as to create the appropriate atmosphere for activating a serious negotiation path with the Palestinian side, the statement read. Additionally, Aboul Gheit "called upon the international community, particularly the members who convened in Annapolis, to shoulder their responsibility in urging Israel to retract on such a negative step. "We are chasing an illusion [with Annapolis], Ali said, "It is just an extension of the same old story. The reality on the ground is quite different. Negotiations just mean more settlement building until talks break down over it.
