Israel backs settlement expansion

[OneNamedNameLess]

Israel has officially approved the construction of more than 450 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli defence ministry has announced. It says the decision to build 455 housing units has been authorised by Defence Minister Ehud Barak.
This is the first new government-approved construction project in the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu came to power in March.
It comes despite a US pressure to halt building at settlements.
Palestinians have ruled out resumption of peace talks with Israel until a complete freeze to the settlements.
A senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Israel's decision further undermined its credibility as a partner for peace.

"Israel's decision to approve the construction nullifies any effect that a settlement freeze, when and if announced, will have," Mr Erekat said.
Mitchell's visit
"Defence Minister Ehud Barak has authorised the construction of 455 housing units in settlement blocs," the Israeli defence ministry said in a statement.
It updated its earlier statement that said Mr Barak had approved the building of 366 housing units.
The homes will be built in six settlements - all of which are included in the settlement blocs that Israel wants to keep under any peace agreement, according to Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
It says the settlements include Gilo, Modiin Ilit and Ariel.
Last week, Israeli officials announced that Mr Netanyahu would to give the go-ahead for the new housing units.
The issue is expected to be discussed when Mr Netanyahu's aides meet US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, later this week.
Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem.
Some 2,500 housing units are currently under construction.
The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifWEST BANK SETTLEMENTS
Construction of settlements began in 1967, shortly after the Middle East War
Some 280,000 Israelis now live in the 121 officially-recognised settlements in the West Bank
A further 190,000 Israelis live in settlements in occupied East Jerusalem
The largest West Bank settlement is Maale Adumim, where more than 30,000 people were living in 2005
There are a further 102 unauthorised outposts in the West Bank which are not officially recognised by Israel
The population of West Bank settlements has been growing at a rate of 5-6% since 2001
Source: Peace Now


From the BBC.

[Q]

Disgusting provocations.

[Yehuda Stern]

Now Nethanyahu has a new invention: he will build more settlements, and then agree to a freeze. Sometimes I can't tell if the Zionists are really cynical or really stupid.

[Rjevan]

Unbelievable but far from surprising, just what has to be expected from Netanyahu and his friend Lieberman.
Here's an article from 17th August about young Israelis occupying caves in the West Banks, probably now they won't even have to live in their caves further.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,643253,00.html

[Revy]

The West Bank archipelago (or what the West Bank would look like if territory controlled by Israel was ocean...)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/04/01/world/middleeast/02lede_archipelago.480.jpg

[Yehuda Stern]

Unbelievable but far from surprising, just what has to be expected from Netanyahu and his friend Lieberman.

True, but one shouldn't expect better from more 'left' Zionists like Peretz, Olmert and Peres.

[FreeFocus]

There's no such thing as a two-state solution. Anyone who thinks so is delusional. How can we keep this settler-imperialist beast around and think we have a solution? We need a one-state solution.

[Comrade B]

This is pure provocation. The Israeli government cannot expect any other reaction than violence. If the PA were not to react, it would be telling everyone that they have no control.

I fear that the people moving to the settlements are just being used as bait by the Israeli government to begin another fight and claim themselves righteous, even though they clearly began the confrontation.