Following the failed vote on the settlement regulation bill, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved new construction in West Bank
settlements. The bill, which attempted to evade a High Court ruling
ordering the eviction of five homes in Beit El's Ulpana neighborhood,
was voted down 69:22. Netanyahu and Housing and Construction Minister
Ariel Atias gave the greenlight on 851 new housing units -- 300 for
Beit El and 551 for four other settlements. The two agreed to
immediately issue the construction tenders. The settlements most
likely to get new housing units at this time are Efrat, Gush Etzion
and Karnei Shomron. Netanyahu is risking censure by the United States
and Europe, which have repeatedly voiced their objection to expanding
existing settlements.
