ISRAEL’S NEW SETTLEMENT PLAN A DIPLOMATIC DANCE
JERUSALEM Israel has adopted a new settlement policy designed to appease Donald Trump even as it risked the U.S. president’s anger by announcing its first new settlement in the occupied West Bank in more than 20 years.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, went ahead with plans to approve the first new settlement since 1991, despite Trump asking him to hold back on building to allow for negotiations with the Palestinians.
But as a gesture toward the U.S. president, who is seen as friendlier toward settlements than Barack Obama, Netanyahu simultaneously announced a new policy intended to avoid provoking Washington.
Under the plan, Israel will build homes for Jewish settlers inside existing settlements or right next to them, rather than annexing fresh land to expand into new areas. It will also clamp down on unauthorized settlements.
The White House offered a tepid response to the new settlement, saying it would not object because Netanyahu had promised to build it before Trump asked him to show restraint.