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israel has given final approval for the construction of 272 new homes in West Bank settlements, just hours after U-S Secretary of State John Kerry\\\'s departure. Under the latest plans, 250 apartments were approved for Ofra and Karnei Shomron, in the heart of the West Bank, 53 of which have already been built without any permit. An Israeli Defense Ministry official said that the initial approval for new buildings was given several months ago and added that the latest announcement was just a formality. The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now criticized Israel\\\'s latest move, saying Tel Aviv had the option of suspending settlement plans and giving the so-called peace talks a chance, but instead chose to push ahead with the expansion of settlements. The latest announcement came shortly after Kerry\\\'s departure. The U-S secretary of state had earlier urged Israel to refrain from taking any steps that would derail the negotiations. The international community considers settlements illegal, and the Palestinians have long viewed settlement construction as a key obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.

[27 June 2012] Israel playing game on settlements expansion - English The Israeli authorities have begun evacuating the illegal outpost settlement Ulpana, near Ramallah, in order to demolish 30 housing units.This decision came following the Israeli Supreme court's ruling that the outpost was deemed illegal due to them not gaining legitimate permits from the authorities to build the settlement.However as compensation, Israel has promised to build 300 new housing units in the nearby settlement of Beit El, which remains illegal under international law. Although ostensibly Israel is distinguishing between settlements built with permits and those constructed on private Palestinian land, the practical result of this is an expansion of the Beit El Settlement.

[04 Nov 2012] Report: European imports sustain Israeli settlements - English

[03 Dec 2012] Israel authorizes construction of more settlements - English

[24 Mar 2014] UN commissioner: Settlements at core of human rights abuses - English

[10 June 2014] Israel continues to expand settlements in Jerusalem al-Quds - English

The European Union has decided to bar all 28 member states from using any EU funds for projects in Israel\'s illegal settlements. Also beginning in 2014, all bilateral contracts must include a clause stating that East Jerusalem al-Quds, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Golan Heights are not a part of Israel. The directive will primarily affect research projects and financial grants. The declaration isn\'t a boycott of the colonies\' private sector, meaning the EU will continue to be Israel\'s number one trading partner, with some €30 billion in annual trade. But many are commending Brussels for finally introducing some accountability for the criminal theft of Palestinian land and resources. Analysts say that with the EU stuck in recession, Brussels is becoming more selective about their financial assistance for Israel. Europe is also fed up with funding Palestinian projects, only to see them destroyed by regular Israeli aggression. Ramin Mazaheri, Press TV, Paris

Israel authorizes expansion of settlements in occupied West Bank

[25 Jan 2016] Netanyahu says supports \'settlements at any time\' - English

[8th March 2016] OIC urges ban on products from Israeli settlements | Press TV English

[12th April 2016] Pres. Abbas urges urgent UN action Israeli settlements | Press TV English

[1st July 2016 Quds Day] Netanyahu rejects that settlements prevent peace | Press TV English

[13 July 2017] Israeli minister proposes annexing settlements to Jerusalem al-Quds - English

An analyst says Israel is \'absolutely not\' interested in peace as Tel Aviv\'s violation of peace agreements, attacks on Palestinians and continual construction of new settlements in the occupied territories clearly indicate. The comment comes as Last month; Israeli officials said they would go ahead with plans to build 6,500 settler units on Palestinian territory despite the opposition of the United Nations and the international community. The presence and also the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine are major obstacles for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East. More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel\'s occupation of Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967. The UN and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on occupied lands. Press TV has conducted an interview with Hani al-Bassous to further discuss the issue. He is joined by Abdallah Abdallah with the Palestinian Legislative Council and reporter and political analyst Maxine Dovere.

Israel is to allocate $ 250 million to further expand its settlements in the occupied West Bank territories over the next two years despite international objections. The figure is contained in the 2009-2010 budget, which passed its first reading in the Knesset (parliament) last week, army radio said Sunday. The move by the Knesset comes despite calls by the international community including Tel Aviv's staunch ally--Washington-- to Israel to halt its settlement expansion. Some 125 million dollars (90 million euros) is to be used for various security expenses, with most of the rest allocated to housing construction, the radio said. The Peace Now anti-settlement watchdog has declared that the settlement spending in the two-year budget could be far higher that by "spreading over several sections of budget." "The official figures are nothing but the tip of the iceberg and the Israelis will pay not only a political price for the settlements, but also an economic one," the head of the group Yariv Oppenheimer said. Israel's two-year 159-billion-dollar budget must pass two more readings in the Knesset. Israel's settlement activities have been described as the main obstacle in the way of peace process

John Kerry condemns Israeli settlements and says they undermine a viable two state solution. Lovely Freudian slip in the middle

PressTv film based on Israeli Human rights organization Peace Now report

5. Settlements - Life in Occupied Palestine BY a Jewish American - English. Anna Baltzer, Jewish American Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar, author of Witness in Palestine, and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, shares her discovery of Israel's human rights violations in Palestine.

A report about Israel and its plans for an expansion of their illegal settlements on the West Bank.

Special Report on more Zionist Annexation of the Holy City of Jerusalem. More Zionist theft and plunder. Aired 29th December 2009.

Abbas concedes settlement construction The acting Palestinian Authority chief says direct talks with Tel Aviv will continue even if Israel resumes the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Mahmoud Abbas had repeatedly threatened to walk away from the US-sponsored direct negotiations, launched this month in Washington, if Tel Aviv does not extend its partial settlement freeze -- due to expire at the end of the month. "I cannot say I will leave the negotiations, but it's very difficult for me to resume talks if Prime Minister Netanyahu declares that he will continue his activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem,'' Abbas told a closed meeting of Jewish American leaders in New York late Tuesday, according to a transcript of the event obtained by the Associated Press. The U-turn will likely anger most Palestinians, who believe Abbas has backed away from his ultimatum under Washington pressure. During the meeting, Abbas again asked Israel to extend the freeze for several months while the two sides negotiate the final borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state. "Let's demarcate the border, at that time. Israelis will be free to build in their territory and the Palestinians the same,'' Abbas said. Despite the international calls, Tel Aviv has so far refused to renew the partial 10-month freeze on new settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israeli settlement expansion is illegal under international laws. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143561.html

UN resolution condemns Israeli settlements Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:9AM English

The al-Ghirayib family lives in one of the stranger manifestations of Israel's 43-year occupation of the West Bank: a Palestinian house inside a metal cage inside an Israeli settlement. The family's 10 members, four of them children, can only reach the house via a 40-yard (meter) passageway connecting them to the Arab village of Beit Ijza farther down a hill. The passageway passes over a road used by Israeli army jeeps and is lined on both sides with a 24-foot-high (8-meter) heavy-duty metal fence. The same fence rings the simple one-story house, separating it from the surrounding settlement houses.

The Israeli government has vowed to end systematic attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, but has done little to curb the violence. Now an Israeli human rights group is using technology to tackle the problem. Israel is continuing construction of new homes for its settlers in occupied Palestinian territory, despite numerous calls from the UN and many national governments to stop the practice, which contravenes international law. The issue is one of the major stumbling blocks to peace negotiations between the two sides. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to crack down on Jewish extremism in the West Bank, but with his government supporting settlement expansion, his promise means precious little to those on the receiving end of the violence. The reality on the ground is that Palestinians living close to those settlements are facing daily aggression on the part of their Israeli neighbors, while the Israeli security forces turn a blind eye to the attacks. Some Israelis are critical of the policy which allows this to continue.The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem is doing its part in trying to curb the violence. It has distributed cameras to dozens of Palestinians to capture glimpses of everyday reality in the occupied zone. The goal is to gather evidence and hold Israeli settlers and soldiers attacking Palestinians accountable, reports RT's Paula Slier.

Israeli bulldozers have begun leveling Palestinian lands in a village near Ramallah to facilitate the construction of a new illegal settlement.

Israel has made an announcement that they produce tenders for a further 2000 new illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al Quds. Israeli prime minister made the announcement just one week before the Israelis are set to release 24 Palestinian prisoners who have been held in Israeli jails since before the Oslo agreement in 1993. Members of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation slammed the Israeli authorities for defying calls from both the EU and the US to halt settlement expansion and further stated that this move could seriously jeopardize the US brokered Palestinian Israeli negotiations.

Press TV has conducted an interview with E. Michael Jones, editor of Culture Wars Magazine, about the acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas once again warning against Israel\\\'s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Palestinian Authority has started a new campaign aimed at promoting international support for boycotting Israeli settlements. In a letter to fifty states including Persian Gulf countries, the PA urged them to clamp down on companies working with Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem al-Quds. Companies such as the French-owned Veolia and the British security company, G4S have been named in the letter. The Palestinian Authority also requested that those countries shut down all their operations in the settlements. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, and the PA says providing services to them breaks the law. In recent months, a number of EU countries have also warned companies against entering the occupied Palestinian territories.