Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is set to continue building new housing units in the West Bank, in defiance of U.S. demands to temporarily halt construction there.
The United States, which has pushed for settlement suspension to revive the stalled Middle East peace process, said it “regretted” reports that Netanyahu planned to approve West Bank settlement construction.
The European Union also denounced the move, demanding an immediate end to construction. EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana has made it clear that “the position of the European Union is well known.” Solana added, “All settlement activities must stop.”
Under a US-backed “roadmap” peace plan, Israel is committed to halt the expansion of Israeli settlements in territories occupied in the 1967 war. However, Netanyahu’s Likud party, which he is chairman, claimed that the freeze will not include construction projects already underway on the basis of what it calls “natural growth.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the Israeli plan.
Netanyahu appears to be trying to keep his right-leaning coalition together by building in the settlements, while trying to placate the U.S., which has made halting settlements a cornerstone of its Mideast diplomacy.
[via msnbc.msn.com]
Recent Comments