Israeli PM steps in to placate Palestinians: Plan for 3,000 homes
JERUSALEM, Sept 5: Israel moved swiftly to quash a new row over its settlements on Monday, with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s office slapping down a minister who announced plans to build thousands of homes in the West Bank. The Palestinians had accused Israel of wrecking US President George W. Bush’s two-state vision for the Middle East after deputy defence minister Zeev Boim said 3,000 housing units would be built in the northern settlement of Ariel.
“The government’s decision to build 3,000 additional housing units in Ariel is an expression of our desire to strengthen the settlement blocs,” Boim said in comments carried by Israeli radio.
But Sharon’s office issued a statement denying that any such plans, which would be in direct contravention of the internationally-drafted roadmap peace plan, were on the table.
“The prime minister’s office and defence ministry have no knowledge whatsoever of authorization to construct or build 3,000 new housing units in Ariel,” an official in Sharon’s office told AFP in a statement.
The official said only that plans had previously been approved for little more than 100 new homes in Ariel, some 20 kilometres inside the Palestinian territory.
“What was authorized and approved in Ariel was the marketing of 117 dwelling units only within the city of Ariel,” he said.
Sharon, under fire from his traditional right-wing supporters for pulling settlers out of the Gaza Strip, has previously said that he planned to ‘continue and develop’ Israel’s settlement programme in the West Bank and keep hold of the largest settlements such as Ariel.
But he has been rebuked on a number of occasions by Washington after announcing plans to expand other West Bank settlements.
A new row over settlements so close to his trip next week to New York where he is to attend the annual UN General Assembly could have taken much of the gloss off what the prime minister hopes will be a chance to milk plaudits over his historic evacuation from Gaza and a corner of the West Bank.
The Palestinians reacted furiously to Boim’s declaration, saying it wrecked Bush’s two-state vision for the Middle East as laid down in the roadmap.
“Israel is presenting 3,000 reasons why it is undermining the peace process,” chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said. “This will destroy the possibility of a Palestinian state and the two-state solution.”
Boim’s announcement on the plans for Ariel undermined some of the optimism engendered by signs that a deal was close at hand in a dispute over the future access of civilians and goods in and out of Gaza.
The day after Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas expressed hope that a deal on one of the most contentious of the issues dividing the two sides would be resolved ‘very soon’, a close aide to Sharon also said a compromise was in sight.
The official said Israel would insist on carrying out checks on merchandise coming into Gaza from Egypt.—AFP
