Israel pushes ahead on settlement homes

Move emboldened by Trump’s stance

Jerusalem — Israel announced plans Tuesday to build 2,500 more settler homes on the West Bank, moving to step up construction just days after the swearing-in of Donald Trump brought to power a U.S. administration seen as friendly to the settlement movement.

“We are building — and we will continue to build,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Facebook.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer did not answer directly when asked about Trump’s reaction.

“Israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States,” Spicer said. “He wants to grow closer with Israel to make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the Middle East.”

While Trump has signaled that he will be far more tolerant of Israeli settlement construction than his predecessors, he also has expressed a desire to broker a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, and siding closely with Israel on such a contentious matter could hurt U.S. credibility.

Netanyahu clashed with President Barack Obama over settlement construction.

Obama considered the building of settlements on occupied lands claimed by Palestinians to be an obstacle to peace. Those tensions boiled over last month when the Obama White House allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the settlements as illegal.

Trump harshly criticized Obama for going against Israel and promised a new approach after taking office.

“This decision destroys the two-state solution,” said Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official in the West Bank. The Palestinians want the West Bank and east Jerusalem for their hoped-for state.