Fury over Israel's new settlement plans

The more moderate line promoted by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s new centrist party suffered a big setback when plans for new settlement buildings were revealed.

Sharon’s Kadima party had declared Palestinian statehood as a central goal and Israel signalled it would drop a threat to ban Jerusalem’s Palestinians from voting in their parliamentary election.

But the news was dampened by an announcement of new Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, disclosed in newspaper ads published yesterday, seeking bids from contractors.

The plans, including 228 homes in the settlements of Beitar Illit and Efrat - both near Jerusalem, appear to violate Israel’s commitments under the US-backed “road map” peace plan.

Sharon aide Raanan Gissin said plans for the latest construction began more than five years ago. He said the building would be in settlements that Israel planned to retain after a final peace settlement with the Palestinians.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the expansion and urged the US to intervene. US Embassy spokesmen in Israel were not available for comment.

The settlement plans came as Kadima signalled it was ready to hand over more West Bank territory to the Palestinians and work towards an independent Palestinian state after the March 28 elections. Opinion polls forecast a strong victory by Sharon’s bloc.

Yesterday, doctors disclosed that Sharon, 77, will have to undergo a procedure to close a tiny hole in his heart. They said the defect led to the mild stroke he suffered on December 17. Sharon’s health is becoming an issue in the election campaign.

And early today, rumours circulated about the health of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas after he went to a Ramallah hospital late at night. But Palestinian officials said he went only to visit a Fatah leader who had suffered a stroke.

A draft of Kadima’s election platform published yesterday calls for conceding more land to the Palestinians as part of peace talks culminating in a Palestinian state. The talks would be based on the road map, which endorses a Palestinian state but says its borders must be reached through negotiations.

“The basic tenet of the peace process is two national states,” says the platform. Party spokesman Lior Chorev said the draft, detailed in the Maariv daily, was to be approved by next week.

Israeli officials also said the government may drop its opposition to allowing Palestinian residents of Jerusalem vote in next month’s Palestinian elections.

Israel threatened last week to bar voting in east Jerusalem since the Islamic group Hamas is participating – a warning that infuriated the Palestinians and led to threats to cancel the election and blame Israel.

Control of Jerusalem is one of the central disputes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In Ramallah, a Palestinian court cleared the way for the ruling Fatah Party to submit a single list of candidates for the parliamentary election, although registration officially closed on December 14. A poll published yesterday showed Hamas would finish first, ahead of the two Fatah lists – Abbas’ old guard and young leadership.

The two squabbling factions had already decided to reunite and the Monday court decision cleared the way for them to enter a combined list.

Meanwhile low-level violence continued early today when an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at northern Gaza, witnesses said. Yesterday Palestinian militants fired several rockets at Israel from Gaza, drawing artillery fire in return.

Israel has said it will enforce a no-go zone for Palestinians in northern Gaza to try to stop the rocket fire.