Israel to build 1,200 settlement apartments in disputed territory

Israel’s housing minister yesterday gave final approval for building nearly 1,200 settlement apartments on lands the Palestinians want for their state, three days before US-sponsored talks on the borders of such a state are to begin in Jerusalem.

The Palestinians said they would complain to the US and Europe. Negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh said Israel’s announcement on promoting settlement plans, the third over the course of a week, “is clear proof that the Israeli government is not serious about the talks.”

The announcement by Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel came just hours before Israel was to announce the names of 26 veteran Palestinian prisoners to be freed later this week. In all, Israel has promised to free 104 such prisoners in four stages over the course of nine months of negotiations.

The release of the prisoners is part of a US-brokered deal that brought the two sides back to the table after a five-year freeze. Yesterday’s new settlement announcement and the expected decision on choosing the prisoners slated for release highlighted the apparent tradeoff: Israel releases some prisoners, but gets to keep building in settlements during the negotiations.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas had long insisted he would not resume negotiations without a building settlement freeze, arguing that their expansion pre-empts the outcome of such talks.

Abbas dropped his demand for the building freeze after US secretary of state John Kerry won Israel’s agreement to release inmates serving long sentences, including those involved in the killing of Israelis who otherwise would likely have spent the rest of their days in prison.

Palestinian officials said Kerry also assured them that the US views Israel’s pre-1967 lines as a starting point for border talks, even though Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to endorse the idea.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu was released from hospital yesterday hours after undergoing successful hernia surgery, but doctors said he would require several days’ rest to make a full recovery.

Yuval Weiss, director of the Jerusalem hospital where the surgery took place, said the operation was ordered at short notice as a precaution against Netanyahu’s condition deteriorating. Netanyahu’s office said he had been diagnosed after complaining of abdominal pain.