Israel is not implementing a decision to freeze construction in post-1967 areas and is accelerating building in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem more than ever before, the Israeli left-wing movement Peace Now states in its latest report.
According to the report released on Monday, construction has taken place in more than 100 Jewish communities in the West Bank since the Annapolis peace summit last November, even though Israel committed to freezing construction following the summit.
It also said Defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved the construction of more than 900 housing units.
In eastern Jerusalem there has been a “leap” in the number of tenders issued since Annapolis, the report said.
“Tenders for the construction of at least 750 housing units in East Jerusalem were issued between December 2007 and March 2008,” the report concluded, compared to just two tenders for 46 housing units issued throughout the whole of 2007, up until the summit.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said it was not commenting on the matter at this point.
The movement said continuing construction in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem is a “slap in the face to the political process,” since the removal of Jewish communities on land slated to be the future Palestinian state is one of the key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
United States President George W. Bush wants the two sides to reach a final agreement before the end of the year.
“Any construction in the settlements, including the settlement blocs and East Jerusalem simply reinforces the opinion of the Palestinian extremists who see this as ‘proof’ that Israel does not truly want peace,” Peace Now said.
The report coincides with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the region and Israel’s pledge to remove roadblocks and ease passage for Palestinians.