(VOVworld) – Israel’s Housing Ministry on Sunday said it will call for bids on the construction of more than 1,700 settlement homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Construction will begin immediately to meet a 2014 deadline.
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A view of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim (front) is seen near Jerusalem. (Photo: Reuters)
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The announcement came ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to promote Israel-Palestine direct talks. In response, Palestine warned that it will file a complaint with the UN Security Council.
Speaking in Cairo, on the first leg of his Middle East trip, Kerry promised Washington’s advocacy for a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. Kerry admitted, however, that Tel Aviv’s settlement policy may damage the peace progress.
The Palestinian authorities say that the US has been passively sponsoring the talks, not taking any position that could pose a block to Israel, especially in its continued settlement construction in East Jerusalem. An unnamed Palestinian official said the Middle East peace progress will remain deadlocked until a sponsor acts as an intermediary.