PM: No chance Israel will cede east Jerusalem areas like Har Homa

Olmert shows defiance, but it is no substitute for crushing military force. Via Haaretz Service and News Agencies:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that Israel would keep expanding a neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem. The premier was speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In one of the highlights of Merkel's three-day visit marking the 60th anniversary of Israel's creation, the two countries upgraded their ties, giving Israel a rare status in Germany shared by France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Russia. Olmert told reporters that Har Homa, a neighborhood in the section of the Jewish Holy City of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians, is an inseparable part of the capital. He said Israel would continue building in those areas of Jerusalem, including Har Homa, that it expects to keep under a final peace agreement. "Everyone knows that there is no chance that the State of Israel will give up a neighborhood like ... Har Homa. It is an inseparable part of Jerusalem," Olmert said during the press conference.