Israel to build 450 illegal homes in West Bank

OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS: Israel on Friday published tenders to build 450 illegal settler homes in the occupied West Bank, a watchdog said, in a plan denounced by the Palestinians as a “war crime”.
Settlements watchdog Peace Now tied the move to Israel’s March 17 general election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud is competing with other rightwing parties for the settler vote.
“It is a pre-election grab to establish facts on the ground made by the Netanyahu government,” a Peace Now statement said.
It said the inevitable US condemnation would add to strains over Netanyahu’s acceptance of a controversial invitation to address Congress on Iran that has sparked a bitter row with the White House.
“After embarrassing the Obama administration with the invitation to the congress, Netanyahu adds another slap in the face of the Americans, and shows no respect to Israel’s closest ally,” it said.
Daniel Seidemann, head of the Terrestrial Jerusalem group which also monitors settlement, said the latest plans were the first of their kind to be announced in several months and unlikely to be the last before the election.
“It’s the opening of the settlement floodgates,” he told AFP. “This could hardly be an accident,” he said. “It could not have taken place without Netanyahu’s knowledge and consent.”
The Israeli construction ministry, headed by minister Uri Ariel of the hardline nationalist Jewish Home party, denied that the timing was politically motivated.