To the Editor:

You are correct in saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's authorization of the Har Homa housing project in Jerusalem does nothing to justify threats hurled by some Palestinian leaders at Israel and the peace process (editorial, Feb. 27). The threat of riots is in no way compatible with the negotiations under way to promote peace.

Har Homa has never been inhabited or cultivated and utilizes expropriated land originally owned mostly by Jews (76 percent). Timing has always been a sensitive issue when considering Jerusalem. Yet as long as the right for Jerusalem to grow naturally is held in dispute, any building done on its land will be contested. Refraining from new construction in Jerusalem, which you advise, is tantamount to succumbing to blackmail.

Failing to continue building Jerusalem's infrastructure will be perceived as a political statement by default. The natural growth of Jerusalem cannot come to a standstill because of Palestinian opposition to Israel's sovereignty over the city.

The new housing endeavor, calling for some 6,000 apartments for Jews in Har Homa and 3,000 apartments for Arabs, will provide needed living space for the inhabitants of Israel's primary urban center.

A response to the political challenges voiced by critics of these projects must also be made. In this respect, Prime Minister Netanyahu's actions represent the consensus of the Jewish people who, in 3,000 years, have held only Jerusalem as their religious, emotional and political capital. Jerusalem will forever remain the heart of Israel and the Jewish people, as well as Israel's eternal capital.



ELIAHU BEN-ELISSAR
Ambassador of Israel to the United States