Israel okays 1,600 more settler homes

Israel's interior minister has given final approval for the construction of 1,600 new settler homes in east Jerusalem, his spokesman said yesterday, prompting a furious reaction from Palestinian officials.
Spokesman Roei Lachmanovich said Interior Minister Eli Yishai had endorsed the construction of 1,600 units in the Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood and would shortly approve 2,700 additional homes in two other east Jerusalem suburbs.
The move is likely to anger the international community as it struggles to find a way to relaunch peace talks in a bid to head off a Palestinian plan to seek United Nations membership.
Meanhile, a top Palestinian official said yesterday that a delegation of Arab foreign ministers will urge permanent members of the Security Council next week to vote for Palestinian UN membership,.
"We strongly condemn the new Israeli decision to build new settlement homes in east Jerusalem," Erakat told AFP.
He urged the United States and President Barack Obama "to reconsider their position rejecting the Palestinian move to go to the UN."
The 1,600-house project in Ramat Shlomo has already caused a diplomatic rift between Israel and Washington when it was first announced in 2010.