EU's Ashton raps Israel for demolishing East Jerusalem hotel.

Israeli bulldozers demolishing a wing of a
derelict hotel in a settlement project that
has angered Palestinians and drawn U.S.
objections.

Settlement building on occupied Palestinian
territory is illegal, the European Union reminded
Israel on Sunday, after a historic hotel in East
Jerusalem was partly demolished to make way
for a Jewish apartment complex.
"I strongly condemn this morning's demolition of
the Shepherd Hotel and the planned construction
of a new illegal settlement," the EU's foreign policy
chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement.
"I reiterate that settlements are
illegal under international law,
undermine trust between the parties and
constitute an obstacle to peace," Ashton added.
Israeli bulldozers cleared the way on Sunday for
20 new homes in East Jerusalem, demolishing a
wing of a derelict hotel in a settlement project that
has angered Palestinians and drawn U.S.
objections.
Construction at the Shepherd Hotel compound,
whose ownership is contested, was likely to
deepen Israeli-Palestinian acrimony as
Washington tries to revive peace talks stalled by a
dispute over Israel's settlement policy in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem, areas captured in the
1967 Six-Day War.
Ashton reiterated that "the EU does not recognize"
the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel, and
also expressed concern for recent violence in the
West Bank, amid escalating Israeli-Palestinian
tension.
British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt also
responded to reports that work has begun to
enable creation of a new illegal settlement in
occupied East Jerusalem, and said that “the British
Government reaffirms its strong, long-standing
opposition to the creation of this new illegal
settlement in occupied East Jerusalem and
condemns today ’s demolition in Sheikh Jerrah.
The establishment and expansion of settlements
in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal."
"We oppose provocative unilateral actions such
as this, which hinder efforts to resume talks
between the two parties leading to a two-state
solution to this conflict, with Jerusalem as the
shared capital of the two states living side by side
in peace and security. That is the way forward.
This latest settlement activity does not help – on
the contrary, it raises tensions unnecessarily," he
added.
"We see this matter as extremely dangerous,"
said Hatem Abdel Qader, the Palestinian official
who oversees Jerusalem affairs for President
Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/eu-s-ashton-raps-israel-for-demolishing-east-jerusalem-hotel-1.336092