Israel Plans Large Settlement Growth in West Bank

The Israeli government has plans to build at least 73,000 new homes for Jews in the occupied West Bank, according to an Israeli anti-settlement group.

Peace Now, a peace group based in Israel, said in its report that there are plans to double the size of some settlements including Beitar Illit, Ariel, Maale Adumim and Efrat settlements. If the plans are implemented, it would double the number of settlers in the West Bank . The Palestinian Authority, which has been engaged in a revived negotiated process since November 2007, has warned Israel that it must choose between peace and settlements, but it cannot have both. Successive Israel governments have paid lip-service to international agreements with the Palestinians to freeze settlement activity. More than 400,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas which were captured by Israeli in the 1967 war. The Obama administration has pledged to pursue Palestinian statehood swiftly in negotiations. It is yet to endorse the Bush administration position that Israel should keep hold of large settlement blocs in the occupied territories. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has restated her country's "unshakable support for Israel" following a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres. The US is Israel's closest ally but there are fears of potential tensions between the two countries. Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu will not openly commit to a two-state solution to the conflict.