Promising Development

[dtotire]

This looks like a promising development. I hope it helps the peace process.


Israel has completely frozen all new construction in West Bank settlements, despite recent comments by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that Israel would treat construction in the major settlement blocs differently from building in most settlements.

Olmert has categorically denied approval for all new construction tenders, including in the so-called consensus settlement blocs, which Israel intends to keep in any future peace accord with the Palestinians.

The freeze also applies to the construction of public institutions, including schools and kindergartens.



Olmert recently sent an official letter to relevant cabinet ministers instructing them to refrain from authorizing any construction in the West Bank without his and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's prior approval.


http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/947916.html

[subsuelo]

1. does not apply to construction already appoved

However, government spokesman Mark Regev said that "these orders do not apply to construction that already has been approved. They do not apply to East Jerusalem either, because from the Israeli perspective, the West Bank is not Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is not the West Bank."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/940166.html