JEWISH SETTLERS have started construction of more than 600 homes since Israel’s 10-month freeze expired less than a month ago.
The anti-settlement Peace Now group estimated yesterday that there had been between 600 and 700 housing starts since the self-imposed moratorium on settlement construction imposed by the government of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended on September 26th.
According to Peace Now, which closely monitors settlement construction on the ground, this is four times the pace of construction that existed before the building freeze.
Ghassan Khatib, a spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, said the latest figures were alarming. “This is another indicator that Israel is not serious about the peace process, which is supposed to be about ending the occupation,” he said. “We also think that this is a big challenge to the American efforts that would require doubling the pressure on Israel to respect the international legality and requirements of the peace process.”
A senior Israeli official said most of the new construction was taking place in large settlement blocs which were likely to be incorporated into Israel as part of a final peace agreement.
Naftali Bennett, the director-general of the Yesha Settlers’ Council, confirmed widespread building, but refused to disclose the exact figures.
“We are not counting how many homes Jews are building in their land in the same way as no one counts how many homes the Palestinians are building,” he told Israel radio. “The land of Israel is ours, and that’s the reality.”
Mr Bennett denied the frantic pace of construction was due to reports that Mr Netanyahu was planning a new building freeze as part of a package deal being negotiated with the Americans.
However, settler officials confirmed that about two-thirds of the current building could come to a halt if the government orders a new construction moratorium.
The Palestinians put direct peace talks with Israel on hold following the resumption of settlement construction last month, only weeks after the negotiations got under way.
Senior Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said talks would resume only when Israel met two conditions: a total cessation of settlement construction, and an end to the Gaza blockade.
Earlier this month, Mr Netanyahu offered to renew the freeze in return for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The idea was rejected out of hand by Palestinian leaders.
US secretary of state Hilary Clinton said yesterday that Washington was continuing efforts to get the talks back on track, and with hard work it would be possible to break the impasse.