Biden assails Israeli housing plan

JERUSALEM -- Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned an Israeli plan to build new homes in disputed east Jerusalem, a disagreement that tarnished a high-profile visit that had been aimed at repairing ties with the Jewish state and kickstarting Mideast peace talks.

Israel's Interior Ministry said Tuesday that it had approved construction of 1,600 new apartments, an embarrassing setback for Biden after a day of warm meetings with top Israeli officials.

Although ministry officials said the announcement was procedural and unconnected to the visit, a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was blindsided and tried to contain the damage at a late-night dinner with Biden.

Nonetheless, Biden issued a harshly worded statement after the dinner, saying its timing was especially troubling by coming on the eve of a new round of U.S.-mediated peace talks.

"The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now," Biden said.

"We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them," he added, warning that "unilateral action taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations."

Relations between Israel and the Obama administration have been chilly precisely because of the settlement issue, and one of Biden's main goals had been to try to patch up ties.

Biden is the highest-level member of the Obama administration to visit Israel.

The U.S., like the Palestinians and the rest of the international community, believes that Israeli settlements built on lands claimed by the Palestinians, including east Jerusalem, undermine peace prospects.

Covering the politics of the Lowcountry, South Carolina and the nation.

President Barack Obama has been more outspoken on the issue than his predecessors.

Netanyahu has rebuffed calls from the White House to halt all settlement activity, agreeing only to a limited freeze that does not include east Jerusalem.

Israel considers its east Jerusalem neighborhoods to be part of its undivided capital, but the annexation has never been internationally recognized, and the neighborhoods are widely seen as settlements.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Efrat Orbach said the new homes would be built in Ramat Shlomo, an existing neighborhood for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

She noted that there is a 60-day appeals period, indicating that the decision could yet be changed.

While Netanyahu considers east Jerusalem to be part of Israel, he acknowledged that the timing of the announcement was poor and said he had no intention of sabotaging Biden's visit.

He stressed that there are no plans to begin construction anytime soon.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the move soured the negotiating climate. The two sides agreed this week to begin indirect negotiations under the mediation of U.S. envoy George Mitchell.

Peace efforts have been stalled for 14 months, in large part because of Palestinian anger over settlement activity.

"With such an announcement, how can you build trust? This is destroying our efforts to work with Mr. Mitchell," Erekat said. "It's a really disastrous situation. I hope that this will be an eye-opener for all in the international community."

Biden was scheduled to remain in the area for two more days, meeting with international Mideast envoy Tony Blair and Palestinian leaders in the West Bank today before delivering a policy speech at Tel Aviv University on Thursday.