Israel’s settlement approval angers Palestinians

Israel has given the green light for the building of 523 homes in the West Bank, Jewish settlers said on Thursday, enraging Palestinians whose fears are rising regarding a new settlement “city” within Palestinian “territories”.             

"After years, we are happy to announce that the government of Israel has decided to build a city in Gush Etzion," David Perel, head of the Gush Etzion regional council, told AFP.                

Perel said that the defense ministry approved plans for 523 homes in the southern West Bank. The ministry has yet to respond to requests for comment.                 
“The council had presented plans for a city of at least 6,000 homes in the year 2000, but had not received any approval until now,” Perel added.

According to Hagit Ofran from the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, there are currently around a dozen caravans at the site, but she said the new city could be home to as many as 25,000 people.                 

"This sends the message that Israel is not considering the two-state solution. It means it will be much harder to divide the land (in any final peace deal) with another city there," she said.                 

The new plans sparked Palestinian and international condemnation.                

On Thursday morning, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's spokesman warned that Israel would be held "accountable" for its settlement construction.              
"The settlers and the government of Israel should know they will be held accountable," Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.                  

The comments appeared to be a veiled reference to the possibility that the Palestinians, having won upgraded United Nations status, could seek to join and then appeal to the International Criminal Court over Israeli actions.               

The Palestinian condemnation followed criticism from the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton after Israel moved forward plans for thousands of homes in east Jerusalem settler neighborhoods.                       

The United Nations and all the Security Council members except the United States on Wednesday condemned the settlement moves, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warning that Israel was on a "dangerous path."