As a result of the building plan for Ramat Shlomo, Ramot, Jerusalem, publicized by the Interior Ministry in Israel, The Arab League has announced that PA President Mahmoud Abbas will not participate in the proximity talks being pushed by the United States.
With all the terror of the palestinian Arabs and with Iran rushing to develop nuclear weapons to become a world threat, especially to Israel, the world once again wishes to focus on the most damaging issue for world security, building homes for Jews in Jerusalem.
The interesting political aspect of such an announcement is that it was not issued by Muhmoud Abbas, or the PA, but by the Arab League. This is an interesting development following the recent decision of the Arab League to "allow" for the palestinians to partake in the proximity talks.
Ramat Shlomo is the latest Israeli building project to be condemned by the United States and the world. Ramat Shlomo is a neighborhood in Ramot, more Southern Jerusalem than East Jerusalem. However, to the world it is East Jerusalem, since it was redeemed by Israel after the 1967 six day war.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has profusely apologized to United States Vice President Joe Biden, visiting Israel to push forward "proximity talks" with the palestinians, and he has made Interior Minister Eli Yishai apologize as well (since it was the Interior Ministry to publicize the item). This, even though they have both said that they did not know such a decision was to be made public since the municipal decision making process regarding building projects is an independent process not connected to national politics.
Unfortunately, even with PM Binyamin Netanyahu's past statements regarding Jerusalem, and the continued building to take place in Jerusalem, Israelis wake up in the morning to a situation where we are being condemned for building in our own Holy capital city and Israeli politicians apologizing as a result.
The Palestinian Authority is planning to prevent its residents from working in the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria – if a legislative proposal submitted by its finance minister passes, which appears likely.
Hassan Abu Libda, responsible for the PA's finance ministry, is the sponsor of the bill. Palestinian Authority chairman Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) is expected to sign the bill into law by the end of the current month.
There is no question that a number of outstanding questions arise with regards to the latest decision by the PA to forbid all PA residents to work in the Settlements.
The first question is, will they enforce this law and to what extent?
The second question is, what impact will this have on the PA economy and what impact on the economy of Yesha? The economy of Yesha is singled out because the first direct consequence of this law, if enforced, is the rise in building costs and housing prices in Yesha.
The State of Israel, and settlements in Yesha, have benefited greatly from the cheap Arab labor from Yehuda and Shomron. There are those who agree and disagree with this state of affairs. Regardless, the cheap labor also has caused the ideal of physically building up the Land of Isreal to be cast aside by Jews throughout Israel.
For a number of years, many Jews in Israel have tried to drum up support for employing Jewish laborers to build houses and buildings yet that effort has had a very slow growth thanks to the opportunity for much cheaper labor.
The answers to the above question remain to be answered, however one question still has yet to be asked - If such a law is enforeced and Arab labor dimishes in Yesha, will the growth for Jewish labor grow or will other cheap labor be brought instead to do the job?
