\r\n\tIsrael has decided to approve the construction of an additional 3,000 housing units in 'Jerusalem' (occupied al-Quds) and the West Bank.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tIsraeli officials said Israel was also considering further moves in response to the United Nations General Assembly’s recognition of Palestine as an observer state, according to Ynet.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe decision came despite a statement made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who alleged that Tel Aviv “will not rush new plans” and “will not issue new bids at the current stage.”<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tIsraeli sources said that the regime's 'defense' minister Moshe Yaalon has issued several similar decisions, and that most of these decisions were made in July of this year, when he approved the construction of 2,487 units for several settlements in the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tModerate Israeli group Peace Now Movement said that Yaalon is waging an extensive campaign to expand various illegal settlements, including Alia Zahav, Shilo, Kedumim, Givat Zeev, and Talmon.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tIn related news, the Israeli Regional Construction and Planning Committee has decided to build a new settlement of 250 units for young Israeli couples in the Negev, as part of the Ramat Negev Regional Council of Settlements. The decision came amidst massive protests against the Prawer-Begin displacement plan in the Negev.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tShmolik Rifman, head of the Ramat Negev Council, “welcomed” the decision, and asserted that the settlement would include both "secular and religious" young Jewish couples, and that he hopes construction will begin within two years.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe Prawer-Begin Plan aims at illegally confiscating nearly a million dunams of aboriginal ('Bedouin') land in the Negev, and the total destruction and removal of nearly 36 “unrecognized villages”, an issue that would lead to the displacement of about 100,000 people.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tBy forcing out the Palestinians from the Negev and constructing malls and “Jewish-only” areas, Israel will be blocking any geographical contiguity between the Negev, Gaza and Sinai.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\tThe plan, which passed following the first reading, would also lead to the illegal annexation of more than 800,000 dunams of Arab lands in the Negev.<\/p>","content_source":null,"content_url":null,"content_columns":"0","content_date_start":"2013-12-04 00:51:41","content_date_finish":"2013-12-04 00:51:41","content_date_register":"2013-12-04 00:51:41","content_date_last_edit":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","content_show_img":"1","content_show_details":"1","content_show_related_img":"1","content_show_slider":"1","content_show_title_slider":"1","content_comment":"0","content_score":"0","content_recorded":"0","content_confirmed":"1","content_status":"1","content_kind":"0","old_id":"121270","tag_id":null,"tag_word":null,"tag_service":null,"tag_total":null,"tag_soundex":null,"attach_token":"2253628282","attach_date_register":"2013-12-04 00:51:46","attach_id":"115581","attach_file_ext":"jpg","attach_file_header":"image\/jpeg","attach_img_type":"2","attach_img_width":"320","attach_img_height":"120","attach_file_media":"1","attach_show_watermark":"0","score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"visit_count":"274","visit_date_last":"2025-05-10 19:45:26","attach_title":"Israel oks 3,000 new settlement units","node_title":"Commentaries","ot_node_left_right":"[{\"node_id\":134, \"left\":25, \"right\":26}]"}]]