Acknowledgements to Today in Palestine for this update
Abbas: talks over if Israel doesn’t cancel new settlement
tenders<http://www.ynetnews
Ynet 12 Nov by Elior Levy — Responding to reports that Israel issued
tenders for 20,000 additional housing units in territories, PA president
says if tenders are not canceled, negotiations will stop. US slams Israel’s
move, says settlement planning ‘does not create positive environment for
negotiations’ — …The Palestinians threatened Tuesday to appeal to the UN
Security Council over Israel’s quickening settlement drive in the West Bank
and to step up efforts to join UN agencies.
<http://www.ynetnews
www.ynetnews.
*Israel PM cancels settlement homes after US, Palestinian
criticism*<http://www.maannews
JERUSALEM (AFP) 13 Nov — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late
Tuesday canceled plans to build 20,000 new settler homes in the West Bank,
hours after their announcement sparked US and Palestinian criticism.
Netanyahu ordered Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel “to reconsider all of
the steps for evaluating planning potential (for the settler homes) that he
distributed without any advance coordination,” a statement from Netanyahu’s
office said. Netanyahu told Ariel the plan was “meaningless” legally — “and
an action that creates an unnecessary confrontation with the international
community at a time when we are making an effort to persuade elements in
the international community to reach a better deal with Iran,” according to
the statement. Ariel was said to “accede” to Netanyahu’s “request”. The
prime minister’s order came after President Mahmoud Abbas warned the
construction plans, announced earlier Tuesday by Ariel’s ministry, would
prompt him to declare the peace process over if they went ahead. Washington
expressed “deep concern” at the move, which threatened to add sharply to
the 550,000 Israeli settlers already living in the occupied West Bank,
including annexed East Jerusalem.
<http://www.maannews
www.maannews.
