Israeli officials dismiss calls for construction freeze in East Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli officials on Tuesday defied increasing calls from the international community for a construction freeze in East Jerusalem, insisting that Israel has every right to build anywhere in the holy city.

"Israel will continue to operate in accordance with its vital national interests... Our right to rule and develop Jerusalem is irrefutable," local news service Ynet quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon as saying.

The remarks came shortly after Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko urged the Jewish state to halt all construction in East Jerusalem, including a planned project to build 20 housing units in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

With a similar tone, the European Union and France on Tuesday also demanded that construction in East Jerusalem should be stopped.

These calls echoed a statement released on Monday by the U.S. government. U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley stressed that the United States opposes construction in East Jerusalem and West Bank settlements and that unilateral actions cannot prejudge the outcome of peace negotiations.

Despite the mounting pressure, some senior officials in the rightists-dominated Israeli government joined Ayalon in claiming that the Israeli government is entitled to build in the whole Jerusalem, including the Arabs-dominated east sect.

"Israel's government is not a subsidiary of any other world government," Interior Minister Eli Yishai told local TV Channel 10 on Tuesday. "The Israeli government is free to build anywhere in Israel, certainly after having obtained all the relevant permits by law."

"Israel must reject international pressure and challenges to its sovereignty in Jerusalem," the broadcaster quoted Science Minister Daniel Hershkowitz as saying.