Israel has approved the construction of a new settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time in more than 10 years, officials said. Israel gave the approval for the construction of a new settlement in the northern Jordan Valley, a spokeswoman told AFP on Tuesday.
The plans include the construction of 30 houses intended for families who were evacuated from Gaza Strip in August 2005. "The ministry has given its green light for construction of 30 houses, conforming with the promise given by the previous defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, to rehouse residents of some settlements in Gaza who were evacuated in 2005," an Israeli defense ministry spokeswoman told AFP.
The new settlement will be called "Maskiot" and its construction is due to start within weeks and is set to take "two to three years" to complete, said a spokeswoman for a group representing the settlers, Emily Amrusy. "There is no reason to rejoice at this decision as it is nothing more than the application of a promise made to those expelled from Gush Katif," she added.
The Palestinians slammed the decision. "We condemn this act and this decision especially as it comes after the Israeli side committed itself to stop all unilateral actions," chief negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP in Ramallah. "This is certain to destroy the atmosphere created after the meeting with Olmert, where they committed to many issues, especially to stop unilateral actions," he said.
