Israel has approved the building of a new settlement in the
northern West Bank to house the former Gaza settlers, officials
said Tuesday, breaking a promise to the US to halt settlement
construction.
Construction of Maskiot began months ago. But the project only
received final approval from the Defence Ministry last week, said
Dubi Tal, head of the Jordan Valley regional council.
The new settlement will house 23 families evacuated from the
Gaza Strip last year and will eventually house 100 families, Tal
said.
"I estimate that within two or three weeks the foundations for
temporary housing will begin," he said.
Saeb Erekat, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
condemned the construction and urged the government to revoke its
authorization, saying it violated the new spirit of co-operation
inaugurated by a meeting on Saturday between Abbas and Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"What message are they trying to send?" Erekat said.
Olmert has signalled in recent weeks that he is ready to make
broad territorial concessions to the Palestinians under a final
peace settlement. But he has also said he wants Israel to retain
large settlement blocs. The Palestinians claim all of the West
Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War, as part of a
future independent state.
Under the phased, US-backed "roadmap" peace plan, Israel
committed to freeze all settlement expansion, while Palestinians
pledged to crack down on militants. Neither side has followed
through.
"The US view on settlements remains unchanged," said Geoff
Anisman, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. "The US
continues to urge both sides to meet their roadmap obligations and
to avoid taking steps that could be viewed as predetermining the
outcome of final status negotiations."
Last weekend's Olmert-Abbas summit sought to build on momentum
from an Israeli cease-fire with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,
which took effect last month.
Despite the truce, Gaza militants launched six homemade rockets
into Israel Tuesday, causing no damage or injuries, the army said.
The militants have launched about 60 rockets since the truce was
declared.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops shot and seriously injured a
Palestinian man near the fence separating Israel and Gaza.
(China Daily December 27, 2006)
