How they see it, December 9, 2012
New Israeli settlements planned for the West Bank
1. The Guardian
Having spun the line that European governments had misunderstood Israel's plan to create a settlement that would cut the West Bank in two and separate it from East Jerusalem, the prime minister's office vowed that nothing would alter their decision…Israeli ambassadors were summoned in Britain, France, Sweden and Spain but none of the four threatened any concrete measures to punish Israel. They should have…From their inception, the West Bank settlements have been a study in opportunism…Until the US calibrates its relationship with Israel, until its leaders feel there is a price to pay for settlements, the plan for a two-state solution will remain a pipedream. (London)
2. Gulf News
Most reasonable nations have responded with anger to Israel's plan to build 3,000 more colonist homes in the West Bank - and rightly so. The move to ramp up construction was a knee-jerk reaction to the UN General Assembly's overwhelming support for recognising Palestine as a nation state…By rejecting recognition, Israel is also rejecting the notion of peace…Sadly, the likelihood of the UN Security Council condemning Tel Aviv for its policy of ghetto-isation is minute. With the US walking in lockstep with the Israeli leadership, language condemning Tel Aviv will be struck from the records…The Security Council needs to commit to treating Palestine on the same footing as any other nation. (Dubai)
3. The Jerusalem Post
.…The decision to move ahead with building 3,000 housing units in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria - areas that a broad majority of Israelis expect to be a part of any future Jewish state - even after a two-state solution is implemented - is perfectly in line with our country's interests. Even the decision to authorise zoning and planning for E1 follows in the footsteps of a long chain of governments - both left wing and right wing. While the timing of our government's announcement might result in negative diplomatic repercussions, building in Jerusalem and E1 protects integral Israeli interests recognised and protected by both left-wing and right-wing governments for well over a decade. (Jerusalem)
