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More construction in West Bank settlement

AFP

The Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday.

Jerusalem: The Israeli Defence Ministry on Monday authorised further construction in a Jewish settlement on the occupied West Bank.

The decision came prior to the arrival in Israel of U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, who is expected to announce a new round of indirect peace talks.

Approval for 112 new flats in Beitar Illit, an ultra-Orthodox settlement near Bethlehem, was given despite a 10-month partial curb on settlement construction announced by the Israeli government under heavy U.S. pressure in November.

The decision to approve the building work appeared to be an attempt to appease members of Israel's rightwing coalition government. It was greeted with dismay by Palestinian officials.

George Mitchell, the U.S. special envoy, has spent months attempting to get Israelis and Palestinians to restart negotiations, and was hoping a new round of indirect “proximity” talks would begin on Monday.

“If the Israeli government wants to sabotage Mitchell's efforts by taking such steps, let's talk to Mitchell about maybe not doing this if the price is so high,” said Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator.

For many months, Palestinian officials resisted any return to negotiations with Israel, saying all settlement construction should first be halted in line with the obligations of the U.S. “road map” of 2003.

All settlements on occupied territory are illegal under international law.

Finally, under international pressure, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was persuaded to enter a four-month period of shuttle diplomacy, led by Mr. Mitchell and due to start in the coming days.

Although the U.S. administration last year demanded Israel halt all settlement building, it eventually welcomed the partial curbs imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The temporary curbs did not apply to east Jerusalem, public buildings or around 3,000 flats whose construction was already under way.

The Israeli Defence Ministry said the Beitar Illit flats had been approved under the previous Israeli government and that construction needed to happen now, for unspecified security reasons.

However, Hagit Ofran, of the Israeli group Peace Now, which monitors and opposes settlements, said the construction directly contradicted Mr. Netanyahu's settlement curbs, which prevented building of any flats — even if already approved — on which work had not yet started.

“It is a very unfortunate welcome that the government of Israel is giving to the Vice-President,” she said.

“It is as if they want to make it look like they want peace but on the other hand to torpedo the chance for these talks to succeed.” Last week, another plan for 600 new flats in the east Jerusalem settlement of Pisgat Zeev passed through an initial stage of the approval process. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2010

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