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April 13, 2001/Nisan 20, 5761, Vol. 53, No.28
West Bank construction unleashes criticism
DAVID LANDAU
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - The Palestinians hope to regain the diplomatic high ground following Israel's announcement that it will build another 700 housing units in two West Bank settlements.
Housing Minister Natan Sharansky's insistence that the construction was approved under former Prime Minister Ehud Barak did little to mute the international condemnation, including the U.S. State Department's characterization of the move as provocative.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres has his work cut out this week to explain the decision to build in Alfei Menashe and Ma'aleh Adumim.
On a midweek visit to Turkey, Peres insisted that the new construction falls within government policy guidelines, which rule out building new settlements but hold out the prospect of expanding existing settlements to account for communities' "natural growth."
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reportedly took much the same line in a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell over the weekend. Sharon advised Washington to discount rhetoric from right-wing junior Cabinet ministers that may seem to contradict what he calls a policy of relative restraint in settlement building.
Sharon was at pains to stress that he, not anyone else, sets policy - and that Peres is privy to it.
Sharansky stressed April 10 that the building was planned for settlements "in the heart of the consensus" - in other words, within the settlement blocs to be annexed by Israel under proposals discussed at last summer's Camp David summit.
The Palestinians eventually rejected those proposals, although the land issue appeared to be less of an obstacle than other issues.
As time passes without a final Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, more requests come in for building licenses. Ha'aretz reported April 10 that the Housing Ministry plans to put land on the market before year's end for another 5,000 homes in West Bank settlements.
Critics often claim that Barak built much more in the West Bank than prior administrations, but faced little backlash because his Labor-led coalition was perceived internationally as "pro-peace."
The issue is complicated by the fact that the approval process for construction can drag on for years, meaning that units built by one government may have been planned and approved by former administrations now insulated from criticism.
Sharansky noted that 3,500 new homes had been built in settlements over the past five years, 1,000 of them during Barak's tenure.
"When there are negotiations, the opponents say, 'Don't build during negotiations,' " Sharansky said. "Now there are no negotiations, the opponents say, 'Don't build because that will deter a resumption of negotiations.' That way, nothing would ever get built."
The settlement issue stirs up instant, almost instinctive condemnations throughout the international community - and these have been quick to pour in this time, too. Sharon will have to tread carefully between his cardinal desire to maintain warm relations with the Bush administration and his wish to keep Likud hard-liners and right-wing coalition partners loyal.
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