Middle East

Israel to build more settlements ahead of colony freeze

Article published on the 2009-09-04 Latest update 2009-09-04 15:43 TU

Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, 7 August 2005.
(Photo: AFP)

Israel is set to approve the construction of hundreds of new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories ahead of an anticipated construction freeze intended to bolter a renewed peace process, a senior Israeli government official said Friday.

The announcement of the new units, which would be in addition to the 2,500 houses already under construction, has already sparked anger from Palestinians as well as western countries interested in seeing a peace process move forward – not the least of which is the United States.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and top negotiator Saeb Erakat sharply denounced the move.

"That is not acceptable," Abbas said after talks in Paris with President Nicolas Sarkozy. "We want a freeze on settlement and the launch of negotiations on the final phase of it."

Erakat went further, saying "the only thing suspended by this announcement will be the peace process."

France also expressed its objection saying such a move was contrary to Israel's commitments in the Middle East peace process.

"Our position is without any ambiguity. We condemn it," foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier told reporters in Paris.

"It is evidently totally contrary to the spirit of the peace process and Israeli engagements and to the dynamic of the peace process," he added.

Under international law, all Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory are illegal and a an increasing majority of the world’s countries have called upon Israel to stop all construction joined most recently by US President Barack Obama.

Obama’s administration has been pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to introduce a freeze in settlement construction this fall, hopefully before the annual gathering UN General Assembly in late September. Netanyahu, Abbas and Obama will all be present, and it could provide the stage for kick starting peace talks which have been stalled since December.

The Jerusalem Post said any temporary moratorium on construction would happen if "conditions are right," including if Arab states move forward with the normalisation of ties that Israel is seeking.

A similar report in the Haaretz newspaper said Netanyahu told US officials of his decision to authorise construction a few weeks ago.

"The Americans do not agree and are not happy about it, but we put it on the table a long time ago," the daily quoted an unnamed senior official as saying.

Israeli media said Netanyahu would take up the issue with Washington's Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who is due in the region next week.