Olmert okays settlement expansion

Z

Zhongda

Active Member

Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, has approved plans to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, in a move likely to complicate US-brokered talks with the Palestinians.


The Israeli prime minister has barred West Bank
construction without his approval [AFP]

Israeli officials said new housing units will be erected in the settlement of Givat Ze'ev, which is 8km from central Jerusalem.

Sunday's announcement was made three days after an armed Palestinian man killed eight students at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem that is associated with the settler movement.

Separately, an Israeli soldier wounded by Palestinian fighters on Thursday died of his wounds on Sunday.

Israel Radio reported that the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a key coalition partner of Olmert, threatened to quit the government unless the construction was approved.

Eran Sidis, a spokesman for Zeev Boim, the Israeli housing minister, said the decision was taken after consultations with Olmert.

New construction

Olmert has barred ministries from ordering new Israeli construction in the West Bank without his approval because of its political rammifications.

The latest approval effectively reverses a freeze on settlement expansions in the West Bank made after US-brokered talks in Annapolis.

A previous understanding between Olmert and the US differentiates between settlement expansion in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Although the distinction is not consistent with international law, which holds settlements in both areas as illegal, the US has indicated that it primarily opposes expansion in the West Bank.

Sidis said a plan to build 750 housing units in Givat Ze'ev was approved in 1999 but suspended two years later after the Palestinian uprising led to a shortage of construction workers.


The announcement came days after seminary
students were killed in Jerusalem [AFP]

Under the current plan 200 units will be built initially and another 550 in the future.

Zeev Boim released a statement saying, "The renewal of the [project] is important news."

"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 statement said.

Israel has said in any future peace agreement with the Palestinians it intends to annex Givat Ze'ev, which is home to 10,000 Israelis, into a "Greater Jerusalem".

It also wants to retain several other major settlement enclaves in the West Bank, which Palestinians hope to make part of a future state.

Last week, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, suspended talks after a five day Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip killed more than 120 Palestinians.

Abbas agreed to resume talks, which are expected to get under way later this week, following a visit by Condoleeza Rice, the US secretary of state.
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Zionist shits - Abbas is just that desperate for peace... to the point where he's agreeing to overlook Israeli expnsion and continue talks.
 
Lol. What's new? Israel does what it wants and is backed by the US and other countries who have a constant boner for Zionist. This crap is getting real old. Then people wonder why the isn't any peace? Perhaps if Israel were to actually follow the UN regulations.....
 
Not to worry, I am sure heceng02 will come and explain why this is Israel's right to do so, why it is just and why the Palestinians should accept it, actually they should thank Israel for developing their land /sarcasm.
 
"Let's fire rockets !!!"
"Let's take more land !"
"let's fire rockets !"
"let's take more land !"
repeat unendlessly.

Someone needs to make a pali and an israeli zaru smiley ( :zaru ) . We'll need those often for some years...

Nothing's better than throwing more gazoline on a fire. I wonder what went though his mind... "If teh Palis can provoke us so much, then let's provoke them even more !" (the Hamas must be thinking the same, in the other direction)
 
Edo said:
Not to worry, I am sure hcheng02 will come and explain why this is Israel's right to do so, why it is just and why the Palestinians should accept it, actually they should thank Israel for developing their land /sarcasm.
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I'm glad I'm so popular right now! :zaru

Seriously, this is not a good move on Israel's part. I know, I'm sure you're shocked that I''m saying this Edo. Like most people have said, this won't make Abbas job any easier. Its mostly the problem of Olmert's government being so weak. He's basically held hostage to the demands of the Shas party. Basically both Olmert and Abbas are in the same situation. They are both leaders of incredibly weak governments that can't do anything to give the necessary compromises for peace. The problem is that they are both basically the lesser of two evils. If these governments fall over, there would be right wing parties taking over on both sides - Netanyahu for Israel and Hamas for the Palestinians. That would make things even worse.
 
well it is unfortunate that israel continues to be governed by such conservative nationalists who do not feel empathy towards palestinians and who only obey the strict letter of their treaties and not the overall spirit underyling them
 
carbo-fation said:
Lol. What's new? Israel does what it wants and is backed by the US and other countries who have a constant boner for Zionist. This crap is getting real old. Then people wonder why the isn't any peace? Perhaps if Israel were to actually follow the UN regulations.....
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Perhaps, but they wont. their big bro america doesnt, why would they.
 
The Palestiinans should help themselves before they expect others to help them - the idea of all muslims uniting to help the Palestiinans against the Israelis is so unrealitic it's pathetic. Right now the Palis are split, they're fighting themselves - just what do you expect the Arabs to do exactly?
 
Khomeini said:
The Palestiinans should help themselves before they expect others to help them - the idea of all muslims uniting to help the Palestiinans against the Israelis is so unrealitic it's pathetic. Right now the Palis are split, they're fighting themselves - just what do you expect the Arabs to do exactly?
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I noticed that the land between West Bank and Gaza says Palestine instead of Israel. And they wonder why the Israelis are so skeptical about talking with Hamas and their ilk. Also, wasn't it Hamas that made the first move and drove out Fatah out of Gaza? I doubt the US and Israel told Hamas to do that. Also, divide and conquer doesn't work in a vacuum. There has to be serious rifts and vendettas already existing in order for it to work.
 
I'm suprised Ehud has lasted so long. I thought his Government was supposed to be doomed.

Did they ever take Sharon off of life support?
 
I've played way too much brawl over the last few days...every time i read this topic's title i read the name Olimar...>.<
 
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