Israel says it will build 3 000 settlement homes

JERUSALEM: Israel announced plans yesterday for 3 000 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the third such declaration in 11 days since US President Donald Trump took office.

Trump has signaled he could be more accommodating toward such projects than his predecessor Barack Obama.

The Israeli Defence Ministry, which administers lands Israel captured in a 1967 war, said the decision was meant to fulfil demand for housing and “return to life as usual”.

The announcement came close to midnight as preparations began for the eviction of 330 settlers from an outpost in the West Bank. The Supreme Court had ruled that the Amona outpost must be evacuated by February 8 because it was built illegally on privately owned Palestinian land.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are due to meet in Washington on February 15. The president’s chief spokesman said last week the two leaders would discuss settlement building.

An announcement a week ago by Israel that it would build some 2 500 more homes in the West Bank drew rebuke from the Palestinians and from the EU. Palestinians want the West Bank and Gaza Strip for an independent state, with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Most countries consider the settlements illegal and an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace as they reduce and fragment the territory Palestinians need for a viable state. – Reuters