Sir, - In the light of repeated attempts by the Palestinians (Irish Times, March 3rd) to present the Israel Government approval of the Har Homa project as a violation of the agreements between Israel and the PLO, I wish to point out:
l. The planned neighbourhood to be built in Har Homa is located in an unpopulated area near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, within the municipal boundaries of the city of Jerusalem. The purpose of the Har Homa project is to alleviate the housing shortage of both the Jewish and Arab residents of Jerusalem.
2. The declaration of principles of September 1993, the interim agreement of 1995, and all related documents signed with the Palestinians contain no commitment to refrain from building, either in the territories or in Jerusalem, for both Palestinians and Israelis, in the areas under their respective jurisdictions.
3. In agreeing that the issue of Jerusalem is to be part of the permanent status negotiations, the parties recognised Jerusalem as a separate issue, which does not constitute a part of the agreed arrangements for redeployment and transfer of authorities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Life in Jerusalem, and all this entails, continues, with the status of the city remaining unchanged so long as no decision to the contrary is taken in the permanent status negotiations.
4. The very appeal by the Palestinians to the international community for their intervention, particularly to the UN Security Council, is inconsistent with its explicit agreement to settle all issues under dispute directly through negotiation.
It is hoped that the Palestinians will adhere to the principles agreed upon, in order to avoid confrontation and to foster relations built on mutual trust by resolving differences directly between the parties. Yours, etc.,
Ambassador of Israel, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.