This file photo taken on December 28, 2016 shows a partial view of the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AFP)
JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH: Israel has approved the construction of 2,500 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, officials said Tuesday, making good on promises to expand such building following the election of US President Donald Trump.
The plans, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, marked the largest recent announcement of settlement building by Israel.
Saeb Erakat, Palestine Liberation Organization secretary-general, told AFP: “The international community must hold Israel accountable immediately for what it is doing.”
He said that Israel had been emboldened by “what they consider encouragement by American President Donald Trump.”
The Israeli Defense Ministry announced the plans in a statement, saying most of the homes would be located within large settlement blocks in the West Bank.
Netanyahu spoke of the settlement approvals on Twitter. “We are building and we will continue building,” he said.
MORE: http://www.arabnews.com/node/1043606/middle-east
Categories: Israel, The Muslim Times
There would be an easy way to stop the illegal settlements: The USA would need to stop paying Israel anything, as long as they are in breach of all international laws. But as Obama illustrated: ‘We do not like your settlements but here is 38 billion $ anyway’. – Once I remarked in a conversation with the renowned UN diplomat Brahimi that it would be easy to solve the Palestinian problem, the USA would just need to stop paying. He replied to me ‘it will never happen’. Yes, therefore all ‘talks’ are useless.