In defiance, Israel expands West Bank settlements

[joeblow]

In defiance, Israel expands West Bank settlements
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:23:55 GMT



In a new move to expand illegal settlements of the occupied West Bank, Israel has ordered the registration of nearly 14-thousand hectares of land adjacent to its largest settlement.

The order published by Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper concerns some 13,900 hectares (about 34,348 acres) of land east of Maale Adumim, near the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley.

Based on the report, the Israeli military called on Arab residents living near the massive Maale Adumim settlement outside Jerusalem (al-Quds) to register their land within 45 days.

The region is mostly inhabited by Arab Bedouin tribes, who have been expelled during previous expansions of the settlement, the boundaries of which already extend to the Jordan Valley.

Israel has repeatedly been called to halt the construction of illegal settlements including the so-called "natural growth" in existing settlements in the occupied West Bank.

US President Barack Obama has recently pressed Tel Aviv to halt all settlement activities in order to re-launch stalled peace talks with the Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has ruled out the possibility of total settlement freeze, saying Tel Aviv will allow growth in existing ones, including Maale Adumim.

SB/MD
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