Sharon continue to build illegal criminal settlements in the West Bank!
(20:30) Settlements continue to spread across West Bank
By Celean Jacobson, The Associated Press
JERUSALEM - At one of the most volatile times in years, the first stages of construction work were under way to connect two West Bank settlements by building housing for 480 Jewish families, a local official said today.
The settlement that is to link the Elkana and Sha'arei Tikva settlements near Tel Aviv, will cover about 35 hectares and is to be among the largest developments in the northern West Bank region, said Marcel Ganz, mayor of the Elkana Council that is responsible for the development.
Ganz said the construction was approved by the Israeli government more than two years ago. Ground preparations were well under way and work would begin on the homes in a few months, he said. Families could begin moving in about a year, he added.
About 700 Jewish families now live in the Elkana and Sha'arei Tikva settlements. Throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, about 200,000 Jews live in 150 settlements among 3 million Palestinians.
The settlement issue long has been highly politicized, and what to do with them has been one of the main stumbling blocks in searching for a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Palestinians demand removal of settlements from West Bank land they consider part of any future state.
The guidelines of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's broad-based center right coalition government stipulates Israel will not build new settlements, but that it can expand existing ones to accommodate what it defines as natural population growth.
Sharon said earlier this week he will not discuss dismantling settlements before October 2003 elections, and his ministers indicated that even if reelected Sharon wasn't expected to deal with the issue right away.
Many settlements and settlers driving along West Bank roads have come under attack from Palestinian militants, but Ganz says building during the worst of times "is the best answer that shows we haven't given in to the terrorists."
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