TEL AVIV, May 22, 2011 (WAFA) – The anti settlement NGO Peace Now said Sunday that Israeli Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, approved building 294 new housing units in the West Bank settlements of Beitar Ilit as well as building homes for the elderly and a shopping centre in the settlement of Efrat.
Peace Now said in a statement it released today, by building these settlements Israel harms its own interests, by creating a new reality which turns up the price of peace, since Israel will turn these settlements into main housing settlements, to be dealt with as blocs and not to be evacuated.
Peace negotiations have been suspended since late September, when a 10-month, partial Israeli settlement freeze ended and Netanyahu refused to renew it.
Peace Now said on Sunday that with the moratorium lifted, settlers commenced the construction of about 2,000 homes in 75 different settlement sites.
