Israeli official: “We don't need American approval” to expand settlements

Tuesday December 18, 2007 10:29 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

An Israeli official announced Monday that Israel will allow construction within settlements that have already been established on Palestinian land in the West Bank, rebuffing a U.S. critique of one planned settlement expansion.

Israeli settlement

The announcement came the same day as a condemnation by the Quartet for Middleast Peace, made up of the US, EU, UN and Russia, of the Israeli plan to build 300 more units in Har Homa settlement near Bethlehem.

“We don't need American approval if we are doing something that we think, as a sovereign state, we should do”, said a senior Israeli official about the decision to allow construction. The official stated that Israel will allow construction in existing settlements and built-up areas, but not expansion. At the same time, however, an Israeli peace group has released a study showing that Israeli authorities do not enforce the rules they set up against settlement expansion, enforcing just 3% of demolition orders made by the government.

Over 300 Israeli colonies, or settlements, have been built in the West Bank on seized Palestinian land – most of them constructed since 1993. 500,000 Israelis live in the settlements, the majority of which are new immigrants. All of these settlements are constructed in violation of international law, and have been condemned by the United Nations on numerous occasions.

west bank | israeli settlement | news report saed at imemc dot org