Israel Announces West Bank Housing Plans
Aug 23, 5:46 PM (ET)
By JOSEF FEDERMAN
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel announced plans Monday for 500 new housing units in the West Bank,
after an apparent U.S. policy shift that has infuriated the Palestinians. The Palestinians oppose all Jewish settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, lands where they hope to establish an independent state.
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The United States, which supports the Gaza pullout plan, has signaled recently that it will allow Israel to build inside existing West Bank settlements, while remaining opposed to construction in undeveloped areas. In the past, Washington has objected to all settlement construction.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli reinforced those signals Monday when he characterized the construction freeze as an ultimate goal, adding, "And we will continue to work with the government of Israel toward a settlement freeze, as is called for in the road map."
The Palestinians have said that U.S. approval of the new construction would threaten prospects for peace, and they demanded a clarification from Washington.
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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040823/D84L6BKO1.htmlEdit: Yahoo link:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&e=4&u=/ap/20040823/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestiniansReuters version:
Israel Plans 530 Settler Homes, U.S. Acquiesces
1 hour, 23 minutes ago Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Mark Heinrich
HAR GILO, West Bank (Reuters) - Israel plans to build 530 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank after Washington softened its opposition to growth in Jewish enclaves, a policy shift Palestinians say will make peace impossible.
Israeli political sources said Monday the construction, together with tenders for 1,000 other homes approved last week by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites), would mainly affect settlements near Jerusalem and be in full swing by the end of 2004.
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President Bush is seen as inclined to accept some building in settlements now to avoid offending Jewish-American voters who favor settlements, and conservative Christian supporters of Israel as he fights for re-election in November.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=586&e=1&u=/nm/20040823/wl_nm/mideast_dc