Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday denied a report by the Peace Now movement claiming that Israeli construction in the West Bank had been stepped up. "All the reports of dramatic construction projects in the [Palestinian] territories are not true, and it's not true that we're building in violation of commitments that were made," Olmert was quoted as saying.
However, the Israeli leader stated Israel would continue to build in East Jerusalem and in heavily Jewish areas of the West Bank that Israel wants to keep in a final peace agreement. "This is going on within the framework of negotiations, and the negotiations will continue to progress," he said. On Monday, Jerusalem's city hall has declared a plan to build 600 new apartments in the "Pisgat Zeev" settlement of east Jerusalem.
According to the Peace Now report, there was an expansion in 101 West Bank settlements, including at least 500 buildings, each containing dozens of apartments. The report, which summarizes the first quarter of 2008, also found that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently approved a plan to construct at least 969 housing units in settlements - 750 in the Agan Ayalon neighborhood of Givat Ze'ev and 48 in Ariel.
According to Haaretz, the report also noted that at least 184 new caravans have bee installed in West Bank settlements, at least 83 percent of them east of the separation fence.
Rice optimistic
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday that Israeli-Palestinian peace talks were on the right track and she believed a deal was still possible by year's end. These remarks came as the Palestinian foreign minister said Israel had removed checkpoints in the West Bank town of Jericho as part of commitments made to Rice.
"I have to say I find very impressive the work that is being done and the seriousness of the process and I think it's all moving in the right direction," Rice said at a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jordan. Commenting on U.S. hopes for an agreement before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office in January, she said: "I fully believe that it is a goal that we can reach."
According to the AP, Abbas likewise voiced confidence despite differences with Israel over what the outcome of the negotiations should be. "I am confident, God willing, we will reach a comprehensive peace in 2008. We, the Israelis and the Americans and all the concerned parties in the region, are working to achieve this," Abbas said.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said that Israel had notified the Palestinian Authority that two checkpoints in Jericho had been removed earlier in the day.
