Israel approves new Jewish settler homes in West Bank Skip to main content

Israel approves new Jewish settler homes in West Bank

Neighbours mourn outside the Fogel family home Neighbours mourn outside the Fogel family home, where a couple and three children were killed
Israel has approved the construction of hundreds of homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Officials said the decision was agreed by a ministerial committee on Saturday.
The announcement comes a day after the murder of five members of a family in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.
An Israeli government official said the construction would take place in settlements that Israel expects to retain control of in any possible peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Palestinian officials condemned the move.
"This decision is wrong and unacceptable and will only create problems," said Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
A manhunt is continuing in the West Bank after five members of a Jewish settler family - including two children and a baby - were stabbed to death as they slept on Friday night.
Army radio reported that two other children had been spared, while a third had discovered the killings when she arrived home.
The attack on the Fogel family has been met with outrage in Israel and has shocked many Palestinians. Israel suspects the attack was carried out by Palestinian militants.
Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a "despicable" act.
The BBC's Jon Donnison in Ramallah says it is hard not to see the announcement of the new constructions as a direct response to the killings.
The latest development comes as peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians have ground to a halt.
US-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled last year over the issue of Israeli settlement building.
Palestinians have refused all direct contact with Israel until construction is frozen.
Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
They are held to be illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12725487

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f