Settlement plans

Israel yesterday announced plans to build 3000 new homes in West Bank settlements, pressing forward with a construction binge following the inauguration of Donald Trump as United States President. The announcement came as Israel was preparing to evacuate an illegally built settlement outpost. It appeared to be an attempt by Israel’s nationalist Government to calm settler anger over the court-ordered removal of Amona, which was built two decades ago on private Palestinian land. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline coalition is dominated by settlers and their allies. A statement issued by the Defence Ministry said Netanyahu and his Defence Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, had approved the new construction. The move followed an announcement days earlier of an additional 2500 homes in the West Bank and more than 550 homes in east Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future independent state — a position that has wide international backing. The international community considers settlements illegal. But Trump has signalled that he will abandon the policies of his predecessors and be far friendlier toward settlements. This has emboldened Netanyahu, who repeatedly clashed with President Barack Obama over settlements, to announce a series of construction plans over the past week and a half.