Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved permits yesterday to build 455 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, a move that conversely could pave the way for a construction moratorium demanded by the US.
A Defense Ministry list of the first such permits since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office in March showed the homes would be built in areas Israel has said it intends to keep in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Israeli officials announced on Friday that Netanyahu intended to give the go-ahead for the new projects, drawing swift condemnation from the White House.
But the step was widely seen in Israel as an attempt by Netanyahu to mollify pro-settler members of his right-leaning government and Likud party before agreeing to a freeze of construction starts in the settlements.
US President Barack Obama has brought strong pressure on Netanyahu to bend on settlements in order to open the way for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks suspended since December.
Netanyahu has resisted a total freeze, saying the “natural growth” of settler families must be accommodated. Some 2,500 housing units are currently under construction in settlements and Israeli officials said those projects would continue.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has demanded a settlement freeze as a condition for returning to peace negotiations. There was no immediate Palestinian reaction to the Israeli announcement.
US envoy George Mitchell is due back in the region later this week to try to finalize a deal with Netanyahu over settlements, ahead of a possible meeting at the UN General assembly late this month involving the Israeli leader, Abbas and Obama.
In an initial announcement yesterday, the Defense Ministry said Barak had signed 366 building permits and planned to issue a further 84. A corrected statement said he approved a total of 455 permits.
Abbas urged Arab states during a meeting with Saudi King Abdullah to unite against Israeli plans to expand West Bank settlements, his spokesman said yesterday.
Abbas “called for a unified Arab stance in face of Israel,” Nabil Abu Rudeina said following the meeting late on Sunday.
“This is not just a challenge to the Arabs, but it also destroys the [peace] efforts of [US] President Barack Obama,” he said.
“A firm and unified Arab and international stance in the face of Israel is needed. We will not go back to the negotiating table before a halt to settlement building,” Abu Rudeina said.
Last week Abbas visited Spain and France, where he slammed the Netanyahu government’s plans to approve a fast expansion of settlement building in the West Bank.
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