Israel Approves Construction and Planning of 2,500 Homes in West Bank

Netanyahu: ‘We are building – and will continue to build.’ Announcement criticized by top settler body, which calls it a ‘disappointment.’

By Barak Ravid, HAARETZ

Construction in the settlement of Ariel

Netanyahu said that “we are building – and will continue to build.” Lieberman said that, “We are returning to life as normal in Judea and Samaria.”

The new construction and planning came under fire from the Yesha Council of settlements, which called a “disappointment” and said the new units “don’t meet demand.”

Most of the units will get caught up in bureaucracy and won’t be constructed, leaving just a few hundred that will, Yesha said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this is a deception meant to look like large-scale approval of construction, while in reality, as on previous occasions, only a few hundred will be built and the rest will only be planned.”

“The American government has changed and Israel’s policies also need to change. The Israeli government needs to approve all the plans currently on the table and issue bids to build in all of Judea and Samaria, Shomron and the Jordan Valley,” said the statement.

On Monday, Netanyahu informed the members of the inner security cabinet that he has decided to lift all restrictions on Israeli construction in East Jerusalem resulting from international diplomatic pressures, two senior officials who have been briefed on what transpired at the meeting said.

Netanyahu added that at the same time when construction plans would be promoted in East Jerusalem, he intends to also advance construction in West Bank settlement blocs.

The Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee on Sunday approved the construction of hundreds of building units beyond the Green Line, or the pre-1967 borders, in Jerusalem. Some of the committee’s hearings were postponed in recent weeks for fear of pressure from the Obama administration.

In recent years, every approval of this type brought on American condemnation and diplomatic pressures. As a result, building plans in the city have often been frozen, usually due to instructions received from the Prime Minister’s Office. In many cases the plans were removed from the agenda shortly before the hearings in order to prevent diplomatic crises with the Americans.

Peace Now strongly condemned the new housing plans, calling them a “desperate attempt” by Netanyahu to divert the agenda from the corruption cases against him and criticism from the right about the handling of Operation Protective Edge. Netanyahu is “leading Israel into a binational state reality. The price of this transparent spin of Netanyahu’s will be exacted solely at the expense of Israeli citizens,” the organization said.

January 24, 2017 | 11 Comments »

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11 Comments / 11 Comments

  1. ‘No to construction only in the blocs’
    Yesha Council protests government plans to build only in major blocs in Judea and Samaria, says now is the time to change policy.

    The Yesha Council therefore initiated a campaign today (Thursday) titled ‘Stop the Bloc Plan of the Netanyahu Government,’

    Even worse, most of the housing units were allocated to communities that are within the settlement blocs”, the Yesha leaders added. They said that the government’s focus on the major blocs called into question its commitment to the residents of Judea and Samaria, and called on the government to approve their plans for new construction in Judea and Samaria.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/223938

    Great, this is what I kept calling for, finally Israelis waking up to damaging policies of BB…. they are realizing that his policies are losing YS…. that something needs to be done…. that pressure must be brought on BB not to convince trump to abandon settlers….. pressure must be brought on BB by Israelis to build in the vacant land reserved for Jews by the LON mandate…. that land is in C and the only obstruction to building there is BB netanyahu. I challenge him to prove me wrong, and not with his usual BS announcements that go nowhere but like trump…. send the bulldozers out to begin building out side the major blocks…. the major blocks are in NO DANGER of being lost but all the vacant lands are in danger of being lost to the jews to whom they were promised and allocated

  2. UN holds off action over new settlement construction
    Security Council meets on Israeli announcement of 2,500 new homes, but does not decide on immediate response

    .. the US representative did not take the floor to speak, …

    …..no one pushed for immediate action …..

    ….Nikki Haley, …..has yet to present her credentials to UN…

    ….new Trump administration declined to comment Tuesday on the Israeli settlement announcement, ……

    …. White House press secretary Sean Spicer neither approved nor condemned the decision…..

    ….“For the secretary-general, there is no plan B for the two states solution,” …..

    http://www.timesofisrael.com/un-holds-off-action-over-new-settlement-construction/

    😛 😛 😛
    Trump says nothing and the room goes hush
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CX83EQA8dc

  3. Bear Klein Said:

    @ Sebastien Zorn:
    Actually I have been worried about the leadership now. Now Israel needs to take advantage of a friendly USA government to establish facts on the ground plus map out its plans for sovereignty.

    me too… but I expect no plan arising from BB for sovereignty beyond the major blocks. Only Bennett and further right have a goal for YS minimum C. Its important for Israelis to pressure BB to take all of C

  4. New settlement homes are just a ‘taste,’ Netanyahu tells MKs

    Netanyahu on Wednesday confirmed he would speak to Trump about the settlement issue.

    But he also seemed to indicate he would not disavow a 2009 speech in which he first announced support for a two-state solution.

    Believing in a certain policy does not mean you have to say everything you plan to do,” Netanyahu said. “I have a clear policy. In order for any possible peace negotiations to be fruitful the Palestinians need to recognize Israel, and they are not willing to, and our territory has to be secured.”
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-settlement-homes-are-just-a-taste-netanyahu-tells-mks/?

    recognition from aholes and security from aholes… thats his policy… not a word about the land which belongs to the jews to which even the goyim agreed.

    Trump advisers have indicated the new president does not necessarily see the settlements as illegal and may not subscribe to the view of the two-state solution as the only possible end to the conflict.

    but BB seeks the tss and does not want to build outside the ghetto boundaries because he has already designated that land to the muslims to build their homes with euro help on the Jewish homeland.
    its time to annex C, if BB does not do that then he will be as bad as Sharon who gave away gaza for nothing… the opportunity will not come again…. and if he does not appear enthusiastic to take C, as he obstructs it now, then perhaps Trump wont bother to encourage Israel again.

  5. @ Sebastien Zorn:
    Actually I have been worried about the leadership now. Now Israel needs to take advantage of a friendly USA government to establish facts on the ground plus map out its plans for sovereignty.

  6. @ yamit82:
    (cont.)

    Wouldn’t it be the ultimate irony if just as we get rid of our Obama, Israel installs it’s own? Even funnier if the conflict of the last eight years were to resume but with the shoes on the other foot.

  7. @ yamit82:
    I agree.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/379338

    I just hope that Lapid doesn’t replace him. He’s worse.

    http://www.timesofisrael.com/lapid-endorses-saudi-initiative-for-two-state-solution/

    or maybe the same

    https://972mag.com/lapids-platform-no-compromise-over-jerusalem-no-settlement-freeze/64847/

    He’s next in line (shudder)

    http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Jerusalem-Post-poll-Yair-Lapid-best-replacement-for-Netanyahu-478312

    yamit82 Said:

    “I hope they find a way to indict him for anything that forces him out.

    Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it.

  8. How many times can BB pull same schtik ?

    What a stinking vile SOB!!! I hope they find a way to indict him for anything that forces him out.