Senior Israeli ministers have publicly rejected American demands for curbs on building in Jewish areas of East Jerusalem and other concessions to the Palestinians, indicating no imminent end to the rift between Israel and the United States.
Benny Begin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner cabinet — which has met twice since Mr. Netanyahu returned from Washington last week — said Monday on Israel Radio that the status of East Jerusalem should be resolved in direct negotiations with the Palestinians, not in advance.
“It’s irritating and certainly a cause of concern,” Mr. Begin said of the American request. “This change will definitely bring about the opposite of the declared goal. It will bring about a hardening in the policy of the Arabs and of the Palestinian Authority.”
Mr. Netanyahu, who met with President Obama in the White House last week, has promised answers to the president’s requests regarding Jerusalem and other confidence-building measures aimed at starting indirect talks with the Palestinian Authority.
Avigdor Lieberman, the foreign minister and another member of the inner group of seven ministers, said in a newspaper interview that the Obama demands included a building freeze in most of the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem. He added: “I have not seen anyone among the seven who has consented to this. The past few days have taught me that there is no point to further concessions.”
Mr. Netanyahu has said that he cannot see acceding to any request that slowed down or interfered with construction of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1967.
Ehud Barak, the defense minister and Labor Party leader, also in the group of seven and the only member from a left-of-center party, told military reporters on Sunday that Israel alone was responsible for its safety, but said keeping strong relations with the United States was vital.
He also said that the specifics of the American requests were less important than the message from Israel that it was “with them and serious about the peace process.”
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