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Fearing new freeze, West Bank settlers rush to build
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Fearing new freeze, West Bank settlers rush to build
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By Joseph Nasr
JERUSALEM |
Thu Oct 21, 2010 4:41pm EDT
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Jewish settlers have broken ground for some 600 housing units in West Bank settlements since a government-imposed moratorium on construction expired last month, an Israeli anti-settlement group said on Thursday.
The rush appeared to be driven by fear among settlers that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would renew the settlement freeze under pressure from the United States, which is trying to salvage stalled peace talks with Palestinians, Peace Now said.
"The settlers fear the freeze will be renewed," said Hagit Ofran, who monitors settlements for Peace Now and plans to release a report next week showing that construction has been intensive in at least 36 settlements. "We expected this. They have old permits that were issued before the freeze."
Ofran said in a phone interview that settlers had so far built foundations and leveled land for some 600 housing units since the freeze on settlement construction expired on September 26.
The revelations could further complicate U.S. efforts to revive the direct negotiations, which were launched on September 2 but were suspended by Palestinians after the freeze ended.
"NOTHING TO HIDE"
The YESHA council, an umbrella group for settlers, said in a statement that the Peace Now figures were a "provocation."
It added: "There is nothing to hide in terms of the scope of our building." The council did not offer alternative figures.
Palestinians charge that settlement building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, areas Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, undermines efforts to build a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.
Netanyahu has resisted Palestinian and international calls to renew the partial freeze.
On Monday, he played down a plan by his government to erect 238 more homes in Pisgat Zeev and Ramot, urban areas settled by Jews on West Bank land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 conflict in a move not accepted internationally.
Ofran estimated that settlers had some 13,000 construction permits issued before Netanyahu announced the 10-month freeze in December to coax Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas into peace talks.
Israel says the settlement issue should be resolved in discussions about future borders and not be a precondition for talks.
Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among 2.5 million Palestinians.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
World
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