RAMALLAH, West Bank: Israel formally approved Monday the construction of 455 new housing units in West Bank settlements.
The Gush Etzion settlement of Har Gilo, which is just north of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, will receive a major boost to its population with 149 units. Ma’aleh Adumim, to the east of Jerusalem, will have 89 new units. The ultra-Orthodox settlement of Modi’in Illit, to the west of Ramallah, will see an additional 84 units; the Agan Ha’ayalot neighborhood of Givat Ze’ev, north of Jerusalem, 76 units; and the small settlement of Kedar, near Ma’aleh Adumim, 25 units. Defense Minister Ehud Barak also approved 20 units in Maskiot in the Jordan Valley and 12 additional units in the Gush Etzion settlement of Alon Shvut.
A sports park will be constructed in the settlement of Ariel and the plan for a new school in Har Adar is in the works, a Defense Ministry statement said.
Currently, 2,500 apartments are under construction in the settlements — most of them in Modi’in Illit, Betar Illit, Ma’aleh Adumim and Givat Ze’ev.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel’s decision further undermined any belief that it was a credible partner for peace. “Rather than unite behind the current drive for peace, and find their way back to the negotiating table, Israel has decided to stay the course in its determination to frustrate US and international efforts to restart peace negotiations,” Erekat said.
The move deepened an already unprecedented rift with the United States over settlement expansion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, trying to placate the Americans, has said the newly approved homes are a prelude to a freeze, but that has been a tough sell internationally because Israel plans to complete the 2,500 homes already under construction.
Many occupiers living in enclaves nearest to the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have cited cheaper housing costs as a motive. Others see themselves as pioneers exercising their right to lands they call Judea and Samaria.
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