RAMALLAH: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved dozens of construction projects in West Bank settlements in recent months, contradicting Israel’s commitments to the road map peace plan, a report said yesterday.
The Israeli daily Haaretz said that Barak also approved the marketing of hundreds of housing units in settlements.
Some of the permits for construction projects were granted in settlements to the east of the separation wall, which are beyond the areas Israel defines as “settlement blocks” and it expects to retain under Israel’s control following a permanent agreement with the Palestinians, the report said.
The road map, an American initiative put in place in 2003, calls on Israel to avoid any expansion of settlements, including the natural growth. The construction permits appear to contravene Israel’s obligations.
Construction in the settlements is a permanent matter of dispute in talks for a permanent settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and has drawn strong criticism from Arab countries, US, and the European Union.
At a recent press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the US continues to insist that Israel ceases settlement expansion. Rice stressed that such construction contravenes the road map.
