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 on Tuesday, in a move slammed by the Palestinians and a rights group.
JERUSALEM: 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 on Tuesday, in a move slammed by the Palestinians and a rights group.
The defense ministry gave the go-ahead for the construction of a new settlement in the northern Jordan Valley, a spokeswoman said.
"The ministry has given its green light for construction of 30 houses, conforming the promise given by the previous defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, to rehouse residents of some settlements in Gaza who were evacuated in 2005," a defense ministry spokeswoman said.
It marks the first time since 1992 that the Israeli authorities have officially authorized the construction of a new settlement in the occupied West Bank, the anti-settlement Peace Now watchdog group said.
The authorities have approved the expansion of existing settlements in the West Bank.
In 2005, Israel dismantled all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and withdrew troops and settlers from the territory, ending a 38-year occupation.
The new settlement will be called Maskiot and its construction is due to begin within weeks and is expected 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, referring to the largest Gaza settlement bloc dismantled last year.
The site of the new settlement was abandoned by the Israeli army, where it housed a unit of ultra-Orthodox soldiers.
The Palestinians slammed the decision, saying that it went against agreements reached between president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during a meeting on Saturday, their first in six months.
"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 said 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.
"Israel must choose between peace and settlements because there is no peace with settlements," Erakat said.
Peace Now echoed the sentiment, saying the decision went against the internationally drafted roadmap for Middle East peace.
"This is a veritable scandal, all the more so that this decision was taken by (Defense Minister) Amir Peretz," who heads the dovish Labor party and is himself a former Peace Now activist, the group's director general Yariv Openheimer said.
"This decision goes contrary to the roadmap, as well as the program of the government. Moreover, it has not received approval from parliament," Openheimer said.
Under the terms of the peace roadmap launched in June 2003, Israel was meant to freeze all settlement construction in the West Bank.
The plan has made meager progress since its launch and Israel says it will not be bound by its commitments until the Palestinians put a halt to attacks.
All settlements in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six Day War, are considered illegal under international law.
At present, 260,042 people are living in the 121 official settlements in the West Bank, excluding annexed east Jerusalem. There are also more than a 100 wildcat outposts.
Some 543 new housing units were built in the West Bank in 2006 in existing settlements, the housing ministry said on Tuesday.
In September, the authorities invited bids for construction of 864 new housing units in West Bank settlements.
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