West Bank: Israel gives green light to hundreds of new homes for settlers
Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Israeli troops are carrying out mass arrests in the West Bank following the brutal murder of a settler family as they slept in Itamar. In the wake of the outrage, the Israeli government gave the green light for hundreds of new housing units in settlements in the Occupied Territories.
Israeli and Palestinian sources report that the Israeli military and Shin Bet (internal security agency) have detained all the males from the village of Awarta for interrogation. Settlers have tried to damage homes in the Palestinian village.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the murder, describing it as a “disgraceful act, inhuman and immoral,” he said. "Any person who has a sense of humanity would be pained and driven to tears by such sights."
"The Palestinian nation is ashamed," Israeli Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) said during a special Knesset session.
The assassin “is mistaken if he thinks he will be called a hero because he is a coward! He did not do anything in the name of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian nation is ashamed of such people, who distort its image and its righteous struggle to free itself of the occupation,” the MK added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced, “ministers have decided to authorise construction" of a few hundred housing units in the West Bank settlement blocs of Gush Etzion, Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel and Kiryat Sefer, a decision taken a day after the murder of five members of the Fogel family.
For its part, the United States Department of State said it was “deeply concerned” over Israel’s decision to approve new homes.
In a statement released late Sunday, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the US sees settlement building as "illegitimate" and that it "runs counter to efforts to resume direct negotiations'' between Israel and the Palestinians.
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11/01/2018 19:53
