Another accomplishment for Lurch as Secretary of State.
Via JPost
In its first demonstrative step in reaction to the Hamas-Fatah unity government, Israel is poised to immediately approve construction of some 3,000 new units beyond the Green Line.
The units, which were originally to be approved with release of a fourth batch of Palestinian prisoners at the end of March that was never carried out, will include 400 units in Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem, and another 1,100 to be divided between the settlements of Efrat, Beitar Ilit, Adam and Givat Ze’ev. In addition, another 1,500 will be approved for construction in other settlements throughout the West Bank.
The other three prisoner releases that were part of the US-brokered agreement that led to Palestinian-Israeli talks from July to March were accompanied by Israeli announcements of new construction beyond the Green Line.
The announcement of further construction comes amid a serious policy disagreement with the US over its approach to the new Palestinian unity government. US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged continued allegiance on Wednesday to strong security ties with Israel, even as he reiterated the US would engage the new government backed by Hamas.
Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, Kerry – asked why the US felt it had to “recognize the unity Palestinian government immediately” – stressed that Washington does not recognize a “government with respect to Palestine, because that would recognize a state, and there is not a state.”
Kerry said he has had daily conversations with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on this matter as “a friend, as well as the prime minister of the country.” He stressed that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas assured him “this new technocratic government is committed to the principles of nonviolence, negotiations, recognizing the State of Israel, acceptance of the previous agreements and the Quartet principles, and that they will continue their previously agreed upon security cooperation with Israel.”
Kerry said Abbas has formed an “interim technocratic government that does not include any ministers who are affiliated with Hamas,” and that Washington has looked into the identity of each of the ministers and determined they are indeed not affiliated with the organization. As a result, he said, “we will work with it as we need to, as is appropriate.”
HT FreedomFirst