Netanyahu: Construction in illegal existing settlements acceptable -- Signs of the Times News

Netanyahu: Construction in illegal existing settlements acceptable

Ma'an
Sun, 24 May 2009 17:43 EDT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised not to found new settlements in the occupied West Bank but said he would allow construction in existing settlements.

"We do not intend to build any new settlements, but it wouldn't be fair to ban construction to meet the needs of natural growth or for there to be an outright construction ban," Netanyahu told his cabinet, according to news reports.

In making this pronouncement the Israeli leader rejected international calls for an all-out freeze on settlement construction as a goodwill gesture that could persuade the West Bank Palestinian leadership to return to peace negotiations.

Last week US President Barack Obama called for a settlement freeze during a meeting with Netanyahu in at the White House. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to resume peacemaking until Israel accepts the two-state peace formula and halts settlements.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements built on land seized by Israel in the 1967 Six Day war. The settlements are considered a violation of international humanitarian law and have been repeatedly rejected by the United Nations.

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