In direct violation of the Road Map, Barak approves settlement construction in the W. Bank

Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported on Friday morning that Israel's Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, approved in recent months plans for the construction and marketing of hundreds of units in illegal West Bank settlements.

A number of settlements are east of the annexation wall, which means that these settlements are even outside of the large settlement blocs that Israel's refuses to evacuate under any peace deal with the Palestinians. 

Barak's approval of these constructions and expansion of illegal settlements comes in direct violation of the Road Map Plan initiated by the United States, and yet another frank Israeli rejection to several security council and United Nations resolutions.

The Road Map Plan states that in exchange for peace, Israel should not build or expand Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. But Israel continued the construction of settlements in the West Bank, in East Jerusalem, and the Palestinian plains, as it insists on keeping these areas under its control.

Haaretz also reported that Barak issued an order in January of 2008 asking all settlement construction projects to be brought to him for approval.

Haaretz stated that Barak approved the following projects in the past few months;

- Marketing of a least 400 housing units, including 315 flats and 32 commercial plots in Beitar Ilit settlement, 48 homes and 19 plots in Ariel settlement bloc and 40 housing units in addition to a commercial center in Efrat settlement.

- Building nearly 60 homes in a settlement close to Eshkolot settlement, south of Mount Hebron area. The settlement is part of the municipal jurisdiction of Eshkolot.

- Licensing, registering and announcing construction bids in Ariel settlement, Modi'in Ilit, Mevo Horno, Givat Ze'ev, Maali Adumim, Efrat, Oranit, Neve Daniel, Har Adar, Alon Shvut, Talon and Kochav Ya'akov. The last two settlements are situated east of the Annexation Wall.

- Granting the Mekorot Company (The Israeli Water Company) permissions to prepare plans in Keryat Arba settlement, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

- Granting authorization for a plan to establish an experimental electricity production farm in southern Mount Hebron area.

- Granting renewed authorization for the marketing of 31 homes and commercial stores in Beitar Ilit settlement.

-Planning a cemetery near Maali Adumim settlement.

- Allocating 4.6 Dunams for developing a nature reserve in Wadi Kelt (The Kelt valley) east of the Annexation Wall.

- Allocating plots for public buildings in Matityahu- East in Modi'in Ilit settlement, Elkana, Kfar Oranim, Kedumim, and Beit Aryeh.