West Bank settlement gets green light for massive expansion

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Some 1,700 dunams of land in the northern part of Efrat were declared state land last week, paving the way for the West Bank settlement to start the process of seeking government approval to build there.

The Civil Administration issued the declaration after rejecting eight appeals by Palestinians against the move. A ninth appeal was accepted, and the land covered by this appeal was consequently removed from Efrat's jurisdiction.

However, construction is still a long way off. First, the Civil Administration must formally allocate the land to the Housing Ministry, which, under new rules adopted by Ehud Olmert's government, cannot be done without approval from both the prime minister and defense minister. Then the Housing Ministry must give Efrat's local council a permit to start the usually long planning process, which involves securing permits from various agencies. Only then can the work of building some 2,500 housing units in the Givat Ha'eytam neighborhood begin.

Since the outcome of the elections makes it likely that the next government will lean more to the right than the current one, Efrat plans to wait until the new government takes office before submitting its request.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1064503.html

[IndianaGreen]

1. We are watching Israel self-destruct in front of the entire world

:popcorn:

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2. Pretty much. nt

[Idealism]

3. Ahh, "Israel Lands"... I barely knew ye

[azurnoir]

4. What a surprise not

I am interested in how Obama's administration reacts to this move.

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5. Abbas: No need for talks if settlements do not stop (Extra)

Ramallah - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas strongly criticized on Monday an Israeli decision to seize more Palestinian land in the West Bank for settlement expansion.

He said that 'unless settlements are brought to a halt, then talks (with Israel) will be meaningless and useless.'

Abbas also stressed that the next Israeli government has to accept the two-state solution and other international agreements on the Middle East conflict as a prelude to resuming negotiations.

'We cannot start from point zero once again,' stressed Abbas during a press conference with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1459774.php/Abbas_No_need_for_talks_if_settlements_do_not_stop__Extra__

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6. Israel shuns U.S. plan to halt West Bank expansion

JERUSALEM - Israel has taken control of 425 acres of West Bank land, paving the way for the possible construction of 2,500 settlement homes, officials said Monday.

Successive Israeli governments have broken promises to the United States to halt settlement expansion, defined by Washington as an obstacle to peace. Ongoing expansion is likely to create particular friction with President Barack Obama, whose Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, has long pushed for a settlement freeze.

Obama has said he would get involved quickly in Mideast peace efforts.

The composition of Israel's next government is not yet clear following inconclusive elections last week. However, right-wing parties are given a better chance to form a ruling coalition, with hardline leader Benjamin Netanyahu at the helm.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/nationworld/110241.php

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7. Hevron Spokesman: Opening Road to Arabs Unacceptable

(IsraelNN.com) Hevron Spokesman David Wilder responded to the army’s decision to open the main road in the Jewish neighborhood of Hevron on Monday and said, “Since when are army officers permitted to make political decisions? Or, alternatively, is it Barak who, in his waning days in office after being told good-bye by the electorate, who is making life-threatening decisions?”

“People here are up in arms at this news,” Wilder added, "quite understandably. It is hard to know what some people’s reactions might be when they find their lives endangered by either a lame-duck defeated Defense Minister or IDF officers making unauthorized decisions to further their own political agenda.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/160843