2,500 Israeli Settlement Housing Units Approved By US: Israeli Newspaper

Despite consistent US efforts to convince Israel to freeze all settlement activities in the West Bank, in accordance with the 2003 Road Map, US officials nevertheless agreed to allow the construction of an additional 2,500 housing unites spanning across 700 buildings in a number of settlement outposts, according to the Tel Aviv-based Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv.

The Ma'ariv report, reported in English by Haaretz, quotes 'Western officials' who say the concession is pursuant to upholding already existing contracts--some of which have already begun work, which is nonrefundable. Ma'ariv quotes one official as saying, "we're talking about polishing off things that are basically done."

The report comes just as Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and US Middle East envoy George Mitchell are negotiating the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, with a specific focus on settlements. Barak told Israel's Army Radio this week that 23 illegal outposts are set to be evacuated soon.

According to Haaretz, neither US or Israeli spokesmen had any comment to offer on the Ma'ariv story at this time.

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Comments

[HekmabaJuzimax]

The only thing that's nonrefundable is that bribe.

[MarcusT]

"...but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state with secure, recognized, defensible borders. And Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided." Barak Obama, June 4, 2008. Addressing the AIPAC conference 12 hours after securing his party's nomination.

[arle]

Yeah, Obama's been a massive disappointment. I consider my voting for him to be a poor gamble. I guess my hope is that he welches on /that/ promise the same way he has on FISA, health care and ending the war.

[MarcusT]

But you apparently voted for him AFTER he made this speach.

[MarcusT]

Given your stated "disappointment" and his speach to AIPAC before you voted for him, I don't understand how you can write the following:

"Well, I hope the Obama administration does something about Israel's deliberate attempt to hijack the peace process"

[NoamShelef]

The State Dept. denied this report with unusually strong language:

"No, that report, and that Israeli media outlet, is inaccurate."

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/july/125815.htm

[arle]

Well, I hope the Obama administration does something about Israel's deliberate attempt to hijack the peace process and inject more lies into public perception. This has been a deliberate attempt to sabotage the peace process as well as the US' efforts to reconcile with the Muslim world and Israel needs to be dealt with appropriately if they intend to threaten US interests.

[BackToFight]

Thank you, so much for that Noam. Shalom.

[courtb]

I read something on here that I found ridiculous and insanely disturbing. Arle commented that if Israel were gone, we'd have world peace. I thought that was a laughable statement until someone agreed with him. And I have to say, are you people willfully that ignorant?

Israel has been around for just over 60 years. So we had world peace up until then? Israel is to blame for WWI and WII? For the various European wars that had been going on for centuries? For the Crusades? For the Greek wars? How about modern events...if Israel was gone, North Korea would stop firing missiles? China, Iran, and a host of other nations would stop killing protesters? Africans would stop all the mass murders and genocides?

Really? All that is due to Israel?

[arle]

Israel is actively subverting the UN and actively breaking nuclear arms bans and Geneva Conventions. They are at /least/ as much a threat to world peace as the other countries that indulge in those actions and I would argue even /more/ so because, thanks to taking shelter in the US' shadow, Israel gets away, quite literally, with murder.

[MarcusT]

"insanely disturbing"

Consider professional help.

[Americafirst2008]

It's funny how our politicians hide in a secluded room and don't mention that we just paid $3 billion to Israel in our taxdollars so they could fund these types of settlements



California is broke but Israeli racists get free homes? Who do our politicians work for?


$3billion a year would go a long way to helping suffering Americans rather than religious fanatics.

[BackToFight]

They work for those who get them re-elected. pro-Zionist Americans are more powerful than you or I can ever imagine.

[alexa07]

The US Congress is egregiously subsidizing the worst sorts of behavior on the part of the Israeli govt. I'd like to see how long Pelosi or Boxer would tolerate a public highway running through their own properties, to which any member of their respective religions, was excluded by point of law! This is NOT the American way; it's Jim Crow & our legislators have egg all over their faces on this one. Even Al Franken, everyone's d

[alexa07]

op , even Al Franken, everyone's darling at the moment (actually, I don't disagree with him on most issues) but he attended a rally supporting the Israeli war on Gaza during the worst period of dumping bombs on the homes of Palestinians who had nowhere to escape. Not my kind of guy!

[-0013]

You're right California is broke. So I agree with you that they need some financial assistance. How about we just suspend all US humanitarian aid around the world? We should just give no money to any foreign nation for any reason until California and the US economy are fixed. That includes everything. Stop the millions of dollars we give to Africa to battle AIDS. That money could help Americans right?

[arle]

It would be more cost effective by far to simply stop the billions we give to Israel to by cluster bombs, white phosphorous, DIMEs and armored bulldozers than the millions we give to fight poverty and disease. You speak as if it were all or nothing. It isn't.

[alexa07]

So the creepy drones, white phosphorus & cluster bombs equate to helping Africans with battlling HIV-infection? Really.

[Macready]

Just thought you might like to know that on 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the Separation Wall being built by Israel in the West Bank is illegal. Yet five years on Israel continues to build the Wall in defiance of international law and global outrage.

The Wall rips through the West Bank, cutting off Palestinians' access to water, farmland and emergency services. More than 260,000 Palestinians face displacement due to the Wall's construction. The international community has largely ignored international law with respect to Israel's crimes. Instead the British government and other nations have rewarded Israeli aggression with financial, military and diplomatic support.

We have to write to our Prez, Congressmen, etc . . . this is nuts . . our country purports to be guided by rule of law . . yet when it comes to israel's flagrant violations of international law . . our government is silent and our MSM .. . . completely ignores it . . .

[nkhogan]

Glad to see the huffpo corrected the headline to this article to make it more accurate rather than sensational. There is a big difference between settlements and individual housing units.

[BackToFight]

Illegal is illegal, any way you put it. The amount does not really matter, it's all illegal and it's all continuing on Palestinian land.

[chirps]

Why is the American television and radio not reporting on this? They've ignored this entire Israeli action of thumbing its nose at Obama with this settlement activity. That should be a big news story, but it goes begging on the American “news” programs. I wonder what’s up with that? And how long has it been going on?

[BackToFight]

If the American news outlets would report fairly on the I/P conflict, they would lose a large portion of their advertising revenue from companies which are primarily owned by pro-Zionists, and they would be flooded with complaints, protests and boycotts from the efficiently organized pro-Israeli lobby and their constituents. It would be bad for business.

[LeeCalif]

The criminals again interfere with humanitarian aid.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=100069&sectionid=351020202

[arle]

I'm nominally cautious about Iranian news sources but this article raises an important point that is distorted in American media -- Egypt does /not/ have exclusive control of the border crossing. Israel has the right to veto any and all traffic crossing the border and technically Egypt isn't supposed to operate it all without EU observers -- which were pulled when the US, EU and Israel collaborated to blockade Gaza completely and turn it into an open air prison.

[Christian]

When we will learn to be an honest broker? We have no business approving anything in that part of the country. If we could only wash our hands of that part of the world we would be so much better off.

[arle]

We won't. We won't learn to be an honest broker. And so therefore, sooner or later, the rest of the world will leave us behind. It's kind of unfortunate. I'm worried that the US is actually passed the point of redemption, now. We're in a whole we can't climb out of. Or rather, that we are unwilling to.

[Macready]

I wonder too arle . . .great assessment . . wish I could disagree with you but I can't America seems unwilling to be an honest broker . . . and with so much at stake . . . the big unanswered question is why?????????

[who38]

Hear, hear. Didn't Biden just say that Israel was a sovereign nation and people couldn't interfere in their activities or tell them what to do. So, why are we "approving new settlements". Maybe Israel doesn't want to get out of the real estate business, but the US certainly should stop being their Fannie Mae.

[Macready]

the settlements are illegal under international law . . . America should be enforcing international law not aiding and abetting its violations . . . by a rogue state

[chirps]

Ban AIPAC and DEMAND a fair, open press that looks at BOTH sides of an issue.

[Khirad]

I don't have much of a comment, I just read and shook my head, in deep disappointment. If Israel wants to act like this, let it, without our approval.

[bbrecht]

And without our 3 billion dollars in funding each year!

[greatscot]

Ohhhh! The US gave permission! Well that's just hunky dory! Israel, just continue that killing and oppression and land-stealing that you've been doing for 60 years, As long as the U.S. gives you permission! What a crock!

[pomegrante]

Elliot32, great post. The WORLD is sooooo tired.

[OceanSize]

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why Israel isn't in Germany?

[who38]

Or Russia...or Poland......

[amalfedup]

Or in New York or in any American neighborhood where the residents are willing to fund the establishment of settlements. It is always easier to defend settlements as long as they are not being built in your neighborhood. Hey Maybe Bush can invite them to Texas or Obama can give them the White house's front lawn to settle in.

[OceanSize]

Um, Russia and Poland were not responsible for the Holocaust. Should have been Germany.

[pgmark]

How about if we move the Pals into other Arab republics.
They have no more legitimate claim than the Jews - They have both been there off and on forever!!!!

[OceanSize]

Yes, but the Zionists were drop-shipped there by a third party: NATO. All prior changes in "ownership" had been organic. In this case, the "Pals" never even had a say in the matter.

[Elliott32]

If the US and Israel will not resolve the I/P conflict, then the next super power China will resolve it. The US is losing influence because we're broke. China owns our debt and wants Arab and Iranian oil, so with help from Russia, in 50 years Palestine will be on the map that's for sure. In the areas controlled by Israel, including Israel proper and the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians already are the majority, so the two-state solution is almost moot and hopefully China and Russia will demand a democratic solution instead of the US-backed illegal Israeli occupation. The US, Europe and Israel overplayed their hands and lost the future!

[arle]

You raise a good point. Just make a single state and put it up to a vote.

[bbrecht]

Single state with a constitution protecting individual rights! hear hear!

[who38]

Isn't it the Isareli's that overplayed their hands with AIPAC support which will lose their future.

[StopNThink]

Hmm, that gives Israel 50 years to finish their ethnic cleansing.

[who38]

I have been wondering when Benny, the yahu, is going to send out a "feeler" re/ the bombing of China.

[Pippilin]

The U.S. can give permission to any country (as it often does) to do such things, but that doesn't change the fact that building Israeli settlements, if in the Occupied Territories, is against international law, i.e. ILLEGAL. Unless, of course, the Palestinian owners of those territories willingly gave their consent; kind of doubt that, though.