Settlers urge Israeli PM to ignore US pressure

Jerusalem settlers are voicing hopes that Benjamin Netanyahu will stand firm in the face of growing pressure to stop settlement expansion.

Residents in the Ramat Shlomo settlement say US demands on the issue should be ignored.

One man said: “The Americans took a country that was not theirs …. it was the country of the American Indians. So what kind of morals are they preaching to us.”

Another man said: “I think that Ramat Shalomo is only the start of where we need to build. We need to build all over Jerusalem, to build wherever we can, without giving a second thought to the US. The US plays no role in this issueat the moment. The important thing is what we think, and what is good for us.”

Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, a claim that is not recognised internationally. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of the state they want to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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