- Title: WEST BANK: Israel approves plans for more than 800 new settler homes
- Date: 25th November 2013
- Summary: GIV'AT ZEEV SETTLEMENT, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 25, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GV'S OF GIV'AT ZEEV SETTLEMENT SIGN READING "GIV'AT ZE'EV" VARIOUS OF CONSTRUCTION RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 25, 2013) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HANAN ASHRAWI, SENIOR PALESTINE LIBERATION ORGANISATION OFFICIAL, SAYING: "It is a challenge to the whole world, the international law, the international community and especially the United States. It comes in the context of the American and Iranian talks on the nuclear weapons and power in Iran, which means Israel is looking for a price tag policy and to respond to the United States through the violations against the Palestinian side in order to foil the attempt to have a peace agreement in the region." GIV'AT ZEEV SETTLEMENT, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 25, 2013) (REUTERS) MORE OF CONSTRUCTION IN SETTLEMENT
- Embargoed: 10th December 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: West bank
- City:
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: People
- Reuters ID: LVACJMW6XIHF48R5KHZO1Q1B41C1
- Story Text: Israel approved on Monday (November 25) plans to build more than 800 settler homes on occupied land, in a move Palestinians said was aimed at venting Israeli anger at a historic deal international powers have struck with Iran over its nuclear programme.
Israeli settler watch group Peace Now said authorities first advanced the plans for 831 homes in five West Bank settlements earlier this month.
These plans were in addition to thousands of other settler homes Israel has announced since U.S.-brokered peace negotiations with the Palestinians resumed in July after a three-year stalemate.
The Israeli civil administration in the West Bank which approves settlement plans had no immediate comment.
Senior palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi, from the Palestine Liberation Organisation, condemned the Israeli settlement plan and connected it with Israel's objections to the world powers' deal with Iran on Saturday (November 23) to curb its nuclear programme.
"It is a challenge to the whole world, the international law, the international community and especially the United States. It comes in the context of the American and Iranian talks on the nuclear weapons and power in Iran, which means Israel is looking for a price tag policy and to respond to the United States through the violations against the Palestinian side in order to foil the attempt to have a peace agreement in the region," Ashrawi said in Ramallah.
Israel feels the deal with Iran fails to strip the Islamic republic of a future ability to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat denounced what he called an Israeli plan to destroy chances of negotiating the terms of Palestinian statehood alongside Israel.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem alongside 2.5 million Palestinians. Israel cites historical and Biblical links to those areas.
Most countries consider the settlements Israel has built on land it captured in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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