Israel to continue W. Bank construction
- |
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet yesterday that construction will continue in existing Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite a call by President Obama for it to be stopped, according to an Israeli official.
Netanyahu has not commented publicly on the settlement issue since returning from meetings with Obama and other US officials last week.
In briefing his Cabinet on those meetings, however, Netanyahu said he would not halt building or population growth in dozens of established settlements that house about 250,000 Israelis throughout the West Bank, said the official, who paraphrased Netanyahu's remarks but did not quote him directly.
Israeli officials say they do intend to remove about two dozen unauthorized settlement outposts and will not establish new settlements. Palestinian officials consider those steps to be of marginal significance.
