Israel's Olmert approves West Bank settlement expansion
More settlement expansion in the West Bank
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Sunday, 09, Mar 2008 06:03
Palestinian representatives have condemned Israel's decision to resume work on settlements in the West Bank.
The move, approved by Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, takes place in Givat Zeev outside Jerusalem.
Initial construction will begin on 200 housing units, with a further 500 to be completed, a construction ministry official said.
"The addition of hundreds of housing units is part of a policy aimed at meeting demand and keeping prices level, while addressing the demographic needs of Jerusalem," the spokesperson said.
News of the Israeli government's plans have been condemned "in the harshest terms" by Palestinian negotiator Saab Erekat.
"We consider that with this decision, Israel wants to demolish the peace process and demolish the international efforts to advance the peace process," the AFP news agency quoted him as saying.
Peace talks are already strained after Israel's week-long incursion into the Gaza Strip, which left over 100 Palestinians dead, in response to rocket fire from Hamas militants in Gaza.
Analysts say Hamas, isolated from peace talks led by the moderate Fatah movement in the West Bank, is doing all it can to frustrate mediators' efforts to reach agreement by the end of the year.
It claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of eight teenagers at a school in Jerusalem on Thursday night.