"Israel" Approves New 90 Settling Units

Local Editor

"Israel" gave Monday final approval for 90 new settlement outposts in Beit El settlement near Ramallah in a move likely to spark tension ahead of a top-level visit by US President Barack Obama.

Hagit Ofran of the so-called "Israeli" Peace Now settlement watchdog said the plans were published for validation in an "Israeli" newspaper in what was the "final stage of approval", meaning construction of the new outposts could begin "within a few days.

The plans were signed off by "Israeli" War Minister Ehud Barak in August but received the final rubber stamp on Sunday by the so-called "Israeli Civil Administration's Planning Committee".
The move comes just days after the White House announced that Obama would make his first-ever visit to the Zionist entity as president on a trip expected to take place in late March.
The Beit El construction plans were hurriedly put together as a compensatory measure for settlers who were evicted last year from Ulpana, a settlement outpost on the outskirts of Beit El which was evacuated following a High Court ruling.
"We're talking about the validation of a project which was already approved in August - in the framework of orders from the political establishment after the High Court decision," an "Israeli" official stated.

Ofran said it meant the bulldozers could now get to work immediately.

"They can start building within a few days," she said.
The approval was pushed through despite the fact that "Israel" is currently between governments following last month's general elections, with coalition talks likely to continue for several more weeks.
On Sunday, the war ministry confirmed it had given the green light for the construction of 346 new settler homes in two settlements in the southern West Bank: 200 settling units in Tekoa and 146 in Nokdim.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org