MIDDLE EAST: Israel announced plans to build tens of housing units in two West Bank settlements. Palestinians protest decision as blow to peace talks

Record ID: 784731

  • Title: MIDDLE EAST: Israel announced plans to build tens of housing units in two West Bank settlements. Palestinians protest decision as blow to peace talks
  • Date: 19th April 2008
  • Summary: (EU) ARIEL SETTLEMENT, NEAR NABLUS, WEST BANK (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ROAD SIGNS IN THE AREA OF THE ISRAELI SETTLEMENTS OF ARIEL IN THE WEST BANK, WHERE NEW HOUSING UNITS ARE PLANNED MAP SHOWING SETTLEMENT BLOCK VARIOUS OF CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN SETTLEMENT
  • Embargoed: 4th May 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8BSY256ORZKNLMBMNY257GECF
  • Story Text: The Israeli government announced plans on Friday (April 18) to build 100 new homes in two Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move Palestinians deplored as another blow to U.S.-brokered peace talks.
    A Housing Ministry ad published in an Israeli newspaper called on construction firms to bid for rights to build 48 homes in Ariel, a major West Bank settlement, and another 52 homes in the smaller outlying enclave of Elkana.
    The 2003 peace "road map", reaffirmed by Israeli and Palestinian leaders at a conference hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush in November, requires a halt to all settlement activity on occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood.

    "I want to say that this building comes after a pretty long period of freezing, and the government of Israel never undertook not to build within (settlement) blocs areas," said Israeli Housing Minister Zeev Boim on Friday.
    The new tenders drew censure from the administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which has not met its own road map obligation of dismantling anti-Israel factions and was weakened by the loss of Gaza to rival Hamas Islamists last year.

    "We condemn this Israeli decision, to announce new tenders, to add new tens of housing units in Ariel settlements to the north of the West Bank, in the heart of the north of the West Bank. We believe that this, if continues, is undermining the efforts to make the year 2008 the year of peace.
    This is a flagrant violation of Israel obligations emanating from the road map, they are supposed to stop all settlements activities including natural growth, on the contrary, the settlement activity goes on as usual," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, adding that Abbas would discuss the issue during White House talks with US President George Bush next week.
    Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in keeping with the previous government's policy, has vowed to keep West Bank settlement blocs -- including Ariel and Elkana -- under any future peace accord.
    The Olmert government argues that this warrants the continued building of homes within in the settlement blocs, though U.S. officials have consistently demanded a freeze.
    Bush signalled tacit U.S. consent in 2004 to Israel's proposed annexation of settlement blocs, calling them "new realities on the ground" that had to be taken into consideration when drawing the border of the future Palestine. Bush also called for an immediate halt of settlement activities including those built under what Israel calls 'natural growth.' Olmert, a centrist, is under pressure from nationalist members of his coalition government to keep up construction in West Bank settlements.
    But Israel Radio reported that the Ariel and Elkana tenders could be challenged by the centre-left Labour party, Olmert's biggest coalition partner, given concern they would undermine talks with the Palestinians.
    In recent months, Israel has announced plans to build hundreds of housing units for Jews in and near Arab East Jerusalem, which it captured along with the rest of the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war.
    A report by Israel's Peace Now group said there has been a surge this year in new projects in the area compared with two tenders issued in 2007 for the construction of 46 homes in and around East Jerusalem.
    The effort, launched by President Bush in November, has been marred by disputes over Israeli settlement building, violence and political divisions on both sides.
    Close to half a million Jews live on West Bank land captured by Israel, including East Jerusalem. Some settlers claim a God-given right to live in lands they call Judea and Samaria. About 2.5 million Palestinians reside in the West Bank.
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