WASHINGTON, 6 September 2006 — The Israeli government authorized on Monday the construction of 690 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite American criticism over the decision. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, during his election campaign, had promised that he would act to expand communities within the large settlement blocs, including Ma’aleh Adumim and Beitar Ilit, as part of his “realignment” plan. It is the biggest such project approved by the Olmert government to date.
Olmert’s popularity has weakened recently due to public disapproval of his tactics during the monthlong campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, so the decision is viewed as a way to boast his approval in the polls.
The Bush Administration has said Israel should not expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, because it makes the process of a final agreement between Palestinians and Israel more difficult. “Much of the world considers Israeli settlements in territory seized in the 1967 War, including East Jerusalem, to be illegal, which Israel disputes,” noted the New York Times yesterday.
Stewart Tuttle, the spokesman for the American Embassy in Israel, told reporters on Monday that the US objected to “any actions that would prejudice final status negotiations, which include the final borders of Israel and Palestine.”
“But such criticism has had little effect of Israeli policy in the past, and is not expected to matter in this case,” noted the NYT.
Israel’s response to criticism of the 700 illegal settlements is that it is not “expanding” settlements, but “thickening” them within existing built-up areas.
“The most disturbing part is that Israel has gone ahead despite US objections, which in fact means that the US has done nothing more than give a ‘pro forma’ gesture of displeasure to make it appear that they’ve covered themselves diplomatically,” Dr. Jim Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute in Washington, told Arab News.
“If in fact, the US really objected the settlements — they wouldn’t go forward. And a weakened Olmert will now be far more dangerous to contend with because he will be needing to shore up his hard line credentials and Palestinians will pay the price,” said Zogby.
According to Haaretz, the Israel daily, building plan E-1, intended to physically link Ma’aleh Adumim to Jerusalem, was suspended in response to American objections. After a pause, Israel then began construction of a large police station in the E-1 area, intended to house the West Bank’s police headquarters.
The ultra-Orthodox Beitar Ilit, with a population of about 30,000, is one of Israel’s fastest-growing towns. Ma’aleh Adumim has some 35,000 residents. Peace Now Director Yariv Oppenheimer said on Monday that the tenders prove “that Olmert’s government is behaving like a right-wing government, for all intents and purposes.
“Instead of evacuating illegal outposts and suspending construction in the settlements, the government is building hundreds of housing units in the territories, and planning to legitimize dozens of illegal outposts. These acts violate Israel’s commitment to the road map and Labor and Kadima’s undertakings to their voters,” he told Haaretz.
