FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)Permits have been granted to build 50 homes in a West Bank settlement to resettle families being evicted from an illegal outpost.
The Defense Ministry in May approved in principle a master plan that in total provides for the construction of 1,450 living units in the Adam settlement located north of Jerusalem. The first phase of the plan, which does not require any further approvals, will be to build homes for the families evacuated from the Migron outpost, according to reports.
The state informed the Supreme Court of the Defense Ministry’s final approval of the 50 housing units on Monday, Ha’aretz reported.
The new construction approval came as Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak left for the United States and a meeting with U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell over settlement policy.
Israel Reportedly to Propose Limited Settlement Freeze
Israel would accept a complete freeze on settlement building for a limited amount of time, The New York Times reported.
Senior Israeli officials are quoted in the article, which appeared Monday, as saying that Israel would propose a freeze of three to six months as part of a broader deal including a Palestinian agreement to negotiate and confidence-building steps by Arab countries.
The potential settlement freeze proposal comes as Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak left Israel for the United States for a meeting Tuesday with Obama administration Mideast envoy George Mitchell.
The offer, under which no construction could start in any settlement, including the close-in blocs, suggests that American pressure is having some effect, according to the Times.
Since the issue is very controversial in Israel, the officials would not agree to be named, according to the Times.
Ha’aretz reported that Barak also could propose limiting building in settlement blocs to high-rise construction.
Sarkozy to Netanyahu: ‘Get Rid’ of Lieberman
French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Israel’s prime minister to “get rid” of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, an Israeli news channel reported.
Sarkozy at a June 24 meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli leader should fire Lieberman and reinstate opposition leader Tzipi Livni to the position.
“I have always accepted Israeli foreign ministers, and I loved to have Tzipi Livni here at the Elysee, but with him [Lieberman] I can’t,” Sarkozy said at the meeting, Channel 2 reported Monday, punctuating his statement with a disparaging hand gesture.
Sarkozy made his statement in front of three other Israeli officials.
“We expect every political institution in Israel to condemn this blatant intervention of a foreign country in our private affairs, no matter what its political stance,” the Foreign Ministry responded Monday evening.
Netanyahu reportedly rose to Lieberman’s defense during his meeting with Sarkozy.