Barak authorizes construction of 300 new homes in West Bank, By News Agencies, Israel News, Ehud Barak

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has authorized the building of 300 new homes in the West Bank, defying U.S. calls for a halt to settlement growth.

According to Army Radio said 60 of the 300 homes slated for the Talmon settlement in the West Bank have already been built and that Barak had approved plans to construct another 240 units there.

U.S. President Barack Obama has pressed Israel to halt settlement activity as part of a bid to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Half a million Jews live in settlement blocs and smaller outposts built in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War.

The World Court has ruled all settlements illegal under international law. The United States and European Union regard them as obstacles to peace.

Palestinians, who want their own state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, see the settlements as a land grab meant to deny them a viable state.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far refused to declare a settlement freeze, which could spark a backlash within his right-leaning coalition government.

Israel says the Palestinian Authority has not done enough to stop militant violence.

Israel said Monday that it will not cooperate with UN Inquiry Panel to investigate Human Rights crimes during the Offensive against Gaza

www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-02













UNITED NATIONS, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel said Monday that it will not cooperate with the UN inquiry panel to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law during the Israeli military offensive on Gaza that ended on Jan. 18.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak made the remarks to reporters after meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at UN Headquarters.

Barak said that the panel, led by South African prosecutor Richard Goldstone, will never be able to talk to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) which controls Gaza, to probe "terrorist" attacks on Israel, so as to ensure an "unbiased conclusion."

"I don't think Israel has to or will cooperate with this investigation," he added.

The UN inquiry panel of 15 legal experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council arrived in Gaza on Monday.

Goldstone told reporters that he is glad to be in Gaza, adding that his team "will work and cooperate with all parties."

"We came here to investigate, to listen and to watch everything related to violations that happened here and harmed the human rights and the international conventions," said Goldstone.

According to deposed Hamas' ministry of health, more than 1,450 Palestinians were killed, most of them were women and children, and less than one third of those killed were militants.

PM Netanyahu won't freeze Settlement Construction for natural growth Jun. 1, 2009, Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST

The Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243346517088&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter







Israel will not freeze settlement construction for natural growth, despite intense pressure from the Obama administration to do so, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has indicated that he will remove illegal settlement outposts, he is determined, the Post has learned, to continue building for natural growth in settlements beyond the security barrier.

In Netanyahu's view, it is further understood that there is no reason housing units cannot be built inside the major settlement blocs for people who want to move there, as well as for natural growth.

In light of unequivocal comments made over the last week by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for an end to all settlement construction, including for natural growth, as well as US and Israeli officials' failure to reach an agreement on this issue in London last week, there is a great deal of frustration over the matter in the Prime Minister's Office.

However, there is also a sense that Netanyahu simply cannot agree to the US demands.

Despite the failure of the London talks to resolve the issue, dialogue on the matter is continuing, with Defense Minister Ehud Barak expected to discuss the matter Monday in New York with US Middle East envoy George Mitchell, and then later in the week with US Vice President Joe Biden and National Security Adviser James Jones.

Representing the left flank of the Netanyahu government, Barak has made it clear that he, too, feels it is illogical and impossible to completely stop all construction in the settlements.

Israel has made clear to the Americans that while it will build for natural growth, it will do so in a way that will not impinge on the Palestinians - meaning that the construction will be within the designated boundaries of the settlements; there will be no expropriation of new land and no construction of any new settlements...
...