Har Homa - Views of U.S. Administration

Views of U.S. Administration

In 1997, the U.S. vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions that called on Israel to stop construction work. The U.S. was the only country of the 15 members on the council to vote against the resolution (Jerusalem Post, 3/9/97). In a vote of 134 to 3, the United States, along with Israel and Micronesia, were the only countries among the 185 members in the UN General Assembly to vote against an April 1997 resolution demanding an immediate halt to construction at Har Homa. The previous month, a similar resolution condemning Israeli activity at Har Homa was passed 130 to 2, with only the U.S. and Israel voting against it (The Times, 4/26/97).

While the United States has traditionally refrained from describing Jerusalem neighborhoods as settlements, in 2008, Condoleezza Rice was critical of building tenders in Har Homa announced after the Annapolis meeting. She described Har Homa as "a settlement the United States has opposed from the very beginning."

In November 2010 the United States criticized Israeli plans to build new housing units in Har Homa.