Israel invites bids for West Bank settlement expansion

By: MARIUS SCHATTNER

JERUSALEM - The Israeli authorities yesterday invited tenders for building nearly 700 new housing units in the occupied West Bank, in the largest settlement expansion push for the territory this year.

The housing ministry published advertisements in the press inviting

the bids, with 348 houses to be constructed in Maale Adumim, east

of Jerusalem, and 342 houses to be built in Beitar Eilit to the

south of the Holy City.

The bids were the largest invited so far this year and the

biggest since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took office on May 4.

 

The anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now heavily criticised the

move, saying that the construction of hundreds of new settlement

homes "violated the government's commitments to the roadmap," the

latest Middle East peace plan.

 

Israel "has done nothing to dismantle the dozens of wildcat

settlements," said Peace Now in a statement, despite government

commitments to dismantle such outposts built without consent of the

authorities.

 

Under the terms of the internationally drafted roadmap, Israel

is meant to freeze all settlement construction in the West

Bank.

 

The plan, however, has made no progress since its launch three

years ago and Israel says it will not be bound by its commitments

until the Palestinians put a halt to attacks.

 

Ambitious plans outlined by Olmert to withdraw from parts of the

West Bank and uproot tens of thousands of settlers while

effectively annexing the largest settlement blocs have been put on

ice since Israel's war in Lebanon.

 

Home to 35 000 people, Maale Adumim is the largest Jewish

settlement in the West Bank and one of the most controversial,

lying about a dozen kilometres (eight miles) away from east

Jerusalem.

 

Although Israel has frozen a project to link Maale Adumim to

east Jerusalem following sharp US criticism, Olmert has vowed that

the sprawling settlement will remain part of the Jewish state.

 

Reports in May said the authorities had approved the expansion

of four West Bank settlements, including Beitar Eilit, on territory

that Palestinians see as an integral part of their promised future

state.

 

The expansion of Beitar Eilit, already home to 27 000 Israelis,

should see the settlement connected with Jerusalem which the

Palestinians also want as the capital of their independent

state.

 

The Palestinians say any building on the so-called E-1 corridor

between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem will wreck the viability of

their promised future state by cutting off the rest of the West

Bank from east Jerusalem.

 

The number of Israelis living in the occupied West Bank,

excluding annexed east Jerusalem, has increased by 2,7 per cent to

260 042 during the past six months, according to statistics

published by the interior ministry last week.

 

Israel dismantled all 21 settlements built in the Gaza Strip and

withdrew all its troops and settlers from the territory in August

and September 2005.

 

Nampa-AFP

 

The bids were the largest invited so far this year and the biggest

since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took office on May 4.The

anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now heavily criticised the move,

saying that the construction of hundreds of new settlement homes

"violated the government's commitments to the roadmap," the latest

Middle East peace plan.Israel "has done nothing to dismantle the

dozens of wildcat settlements," said Peace Now in a statement,

despite government commitments to dismantle such outposts built

without consent of the authorities.Under the terms of the

internationally drafted roadmap, Israel is meant to freeze all

settlement construction in the West Bank.The plan, however, has

made no progress since its launch three years ago and Israel says

it will not be bound by its commitments until the Palestinians put

a halt to attacks.Ambitious plans outlined by Olmert to withdraw

from parts of the West Bank and uproot tens of thousands of

settlers while effectively annexing the largest settlement blocs

have been put on ice since Israel's war in Lebanon.Home to 35 000

people, Maale Adumim is the largest Jewish settlement in the West

Bank and one of the most controversial, lying about a dozen

kilometres (eight miles) away from east Jerusalem.Although Israel

has frozen a project to link Maale Adumim to east Jerusalem

following sharp US criticism, Olmert has vowed that the sprawling

settlement will remain part of the Jewish state.Reports in May said

the authorities had approved the expansion of four West Bank

settlements, including Beitar Eilit, on territory that Palestinians

see as an integral part of their promised future state.The

expansion of Beitar Eilit, already home to 27 000 Israelis, should

see the settlement connected with Jerusalem which the Palestinians

also want as the capital of their independent state.The

Palestinians say any building on the so-called E-1 corridor between

Maale Adumim and Jerusalem will wreck the viability of their

promised future state by cutting off the rest of the West Bank from

east Jerusalem.The number of Israelis living in the occupied West

Bank, excluding annexed east Jerusalem, has increased by 2,7 per

cent to 260 042 during the past six months, according to statistics

published by the interior ministry last week.Israel dismantled all

21 settlements built in the Gaza Strip and withdrew all its troops

and settlers from the territory in August and September

2005.Nampa-AFP

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