Netanyahu Halts Plans for New WB Settlements

Netanyahu said in a statement that the plans would make “no contribution” to settlements.
 
He added that the announcement of extra settlements had caused “unnecessary conflict” with the international community.
 
"This is a meaningless step — legally and in practice — 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," the prime minister said.
 
Netanyahu’s statement said that housing minister Uri Ariel had accepted the request to reassess plans.
 
Anti-settlement group Peace Now said on Tuesday that the entity has long-term plans to build some 24,000 extra settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The reports prompted Palestinians to threaten to walk out of Middle East peace talks.
 
US officials said they were surprised by the announcement and demanded an explanation, Associated Press reported. "We were surprised by these announcements, and are currently seeking further explanation from the government of Israel," a US State Department spokesperson said.
 
The planned project was divided into 19,786 housing units in the West Bank and a further 4,000 in East Jerusalem. The units in the West Bank listed a price tag of nearly US$13 million, according to the Zionist daily Haaretz.
 
"This is a record," Peace Now director Yariv Oppenheimer told Agence France Presse.