Israel build new settlements

[LeadRoundNose]

Good, it's their land, their country. Hopefully soon, Israel will annihilate Iran, kick the "palestinians" out of Israel and get on with their rightful place among the nations.

Israel Announces Plans for New W. Bank Settlement Homes

Israel has announced plans for 1,400 new settlement homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a move certain to upset Palestinians during a time of already fragile peace talks.

The Israeli Housing Ministry on Friday announced that 800 homes would be built in the West Bank and 600 in East Jerusalem, both areas occupied by Israel's military since 1967.

The move had been expected as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to calm concerns by some in his government about the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The 26 prisoners were freed last month as part of a peace effort brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Israeli officials said they waited until Kerry left the region to announce the settlements.

Palestinians have threatened to walk out of the talks, and possibly pursue legal action, if Israel goes ahead with the settlements, which are built on land Palestinians want as part of a separate state.

Kerry this week wrapped up his 10th trip to the region since March. He initially set a nine-month deadline to come up with a comprehensive two-state solution to the decades-old conflict.

Before leaving Jerusalem Sunday, Kerry said he is making progress towards a scaled-back framework deal, which he said would still be a "significant breakthrough."

Meanwhile, Israelis and Palestinians continue to accuse each other of sabotaging peace efforts.

Israel says the Palestinians should recognize Israel as a Jewish state and stop welcoming as heroes the released prisoners who were convicted of killing Israelis.

Palestinians continue to complain about the settlements, as well as proposals for security arrangements in the Jordan Valley where the West Bank borders Jordan.

Israel is looking to keep troops there, saying this is essential for security reasons. Palestinians say this would violate the sovereignty of their future state.

Other key issues to be resolved include the remaining borders between the two states, the future of Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

 

[Mr. H.]

No need for concern. Kerry's on it.

 

[SalaamAkir]

Israel needs to stop, I do not hate Jews' religion or culture, but this is not good for peace.

 

[TheOldSchool]

Israel needs to stop, I do not hate Jews' religion or culture, but this is not good for peace.

I agree. The settlements are just stoking the flames.

 

[Jos]

Build as many as you want, they will end up being "gifted" to the locals soon

 

[jwoodie]

If Israel build enough new infrastructure, the Palestinians may become interested in a trade.

 

[waltky]

Another West Bank war comin'?...

Israel approves 2,500 West Bank settlement homes
Wednesday 25th January, 2017 - Settlement plans have been approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Makes good on promises to expand such building following Trump's election; Most of the homes would be located within settlement blocks in the West Bank

Israel has approved 2,500 new settler homes in the West Bank it pledged to build if Donald Trump became US President. The plans, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, marked the largest recent announcement of settlement building by Israel. The defence ministry announced the plans in a statement, saying most of the homes would be located within large settlement blocks in the West Bank. Around 100 are to be located in the settlement of Beit El near Ramallah, it said. A Palestinian industrial zone near the West Bank city of Hebron was also approved. The move makes good on promises to expand such building following Trump's election.

Israel has approved 2,500 new settler homes in the West Bank it pledged to build if Donald Trump became US President. This file picture from March, 2011 shows a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit.​

Netanyahu spoke of the settlement approvals on Twitter. 'We are building and we will continue building,' he said. Trump has signalled strong support for Israel, and Israeli right-wing politicians have sought to take advantage, with hardliners calling for an end to the idea of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu has said he still supports a two-state solution, but reportedly told ministers Sunday that all restrictions on building settlements in annexed east Jerusalem were being lifted. He also said Sunday he plans to expand construction in large settlement blocks in the West Bank, Israeli media reported, and that he foresees eventually bringing all settlements under Israeli sovereignty. Trump is widely expected to be more sympathetic to Israel's settlement policies than the fiercely critical Obama administration, and has also vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to contested Jerusalem.

Around 100 settler homes are to be located in the settlement of Beit El near Ramalla​

Israel's nationalist government has welcomed the prospective change in policy, but it also risks igniting Palestinian or even regional unrest. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on the approval 'in response to housing needs.' He said the majority of the housing units will be built in settlement 'blocs,' areas where most settlers live and which Israel wants to keep under its control under any future peace deal with the Palestinians. Some 100 homes were slated for two smaller settlements. 'We are building — and we will continue to build,' Netanyahu wrote in a brief Facebook post.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) and Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, marked the largest recent announcement of settlement building by Israel​

Settlement construction was a contentious area of disagreement during the Obama years, when the White House sided with the Palestinians and the international community in condemning it as an obstacle to peace. The Palestinians want the West Bank, as well the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 war — for their hoped-for state. They, along with much of the international community, view settlements as illegal. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the latest settlement plans, saying they would hurt peace hopes and 'promote extremism and terrorism.'

MORE

 

[waltky]

White House warns Israel over settlements...

White House says Israeli settlement building may not help peace
February 3, 2017 | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Thursday that Israel's building of new settlements or expansion of existing ones in occupied territories may not be helpful in achieving peace with Palestinians, adopting a more measured tone than its previous pro-Israel announcements.

In a statement issued two weeks before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to visit U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House said the administration "has not taken an official position on settlement activity." Trump, a Republican, has signaled he could be more accommodating toward settlement projects than his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. The latest statement reflects slightly more nuanced language on how the new administration views settlement activity. "While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal," the White House said in a statement.

The statement could disappoint Israel's far-right, which had hoped Trump would give an unqualified green light on rapid settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem - areas Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. In the first Israeli reaction to the statement, Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, said it was too early to tell how it would affect future building. "It's still too early to tell ... I would not categorize this as a U-turn by the U.S. administration but the issue is clearly on their agenda ... the issue will be discussed when the prime minister (Netanyahu) meets the president in Washington," Danon told Israel Radio. "We will not always agree on everything," he added.

Israeli policemen remove a pro-settlement activist during an operation by Israeli forces to evict settlers from the illegal outpost of Amona in the occupied West Bank​

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke by phone with Netanyahu on Thursday, the State Department said. It did not say whether they discussed the White House statement. Obama routinely criticized settlement construction plans and his administration often described settlement activity as lacking legitimacy and impeding peace.

The White House statement came as Israel has ratcheted up settlement activity. On Wednesday, it said it would establish a new settlement in the occupied West Bank, the first since the late 1990s. It also announced plans for 3,000 more settlement homes in the West Bank, the third such declaration in less than two weeks since Trump took office. An announcement a week ago by Israel that it would build some 2,500 more dwellings in the West Bank, where Palestinians now seek statehood, drew rebukes from the Palestinians and the European Union.

White House says Israeli settlement building may not help peace