U.S. Says Israeli Settlement Unit Tenders Will 'Inflame Tensions'
Source: Haaretz
Publication of tenders for 450 new units over the Green Line will further isolate Israel, says State Department; U.K. also condemns the announcement.
By Barak Ravid | Jan. 30, 2015 | 8:42 PM
The U.S. criticized Israel's publication of tenders for 450 new settlement units on Friday, with State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki saying the move was deeply concerning and would further isolate Israel.
Israel published the tenders on Friday. They included units in a new neighborhood known as East Migron. The move ends an extended period when there was a quiet freeze on new construction over the Green Line.
Speaking at a daily press briefing, Psaki said that although many of the tenders announced Friday are old, the Obama Administration believes this will "inflame tensions, further isolate Israel internationally and will not help Israel's security."
The tenders include 102 units in the Hebron suburb of Kiryat Arba, 78 single-family homes in Alfei Menashe and 156 units in Elkana. The plans also call for 114 units in East Migron, a new neighborhood born out of an agreement by which settlers would evacuate an outpost built on private Palestinian land and move to a new residential area east of the settlement of Adam. Residents violated the deal, and in the end were given an area closer to Migron.
Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.639937
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