Watchdog: Israel quietly develops plans to build settlements in strategic West

Israel’s Army Radio said Sunday that it had obtained an internal European Union document quoting the European Union ambassador as telling Shaked that her bill would undermine Israel’s image as a democratic and pluralistic country.

Hanan Ashrawi condemned Israel’s illegal settlement activities stating:”Once again Israel is exposing its true intentions of destroying the chances for a contiguous and viable Palestinian state while establishing “Greater Israel” on historical Palestine”.

Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian who rammed them with his auto in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Israeli military said, as a wave of violence approached its fourth month.

A Palestinian boy protests outside a wealthy Israeli settlement.

In a report, the group said the 8,372 units are envisioned for the strategic area known as E1.

“In this connection we reaffirm the need for refraining from any unilateral steps that might further complicate Palestinian-Israeli relations and put a question mark over the principle of double-state settlement of the Palestinian problem, approved by the worldwide community, including Israel”, the Foreign Ministry said. Israel says 88 of them were attacking or attempting to attack Israelis while the rest died in clashes with Israeli troops.

US-backed peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel collapsed in April 2014 amid bitter mutual recriminations.

They say it would separate a future Palestinian state from east Jerusalem and drive a big wedge between the northern and southern flanks of the West Bank.

Since the start of October, Israeli forces or armed civilians have killed at least 132 Palestinians, 82 of whom authorities described as assailants.

A main target of the bill appeared to be Breaking the Silence, a group of former Israeli combat soldiers who criticize Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank. Settlement expansion continues to be a major obstacle in the peace process.

In the latest fatal incident, the Israeli military said two Palestinians stabbed a soldier in the village of Hewara, near the West Bank city of Nablus.

Israeli leaders blame the Palestinian Authority for incitement to violence, claiming this outbreak had been fueled by religious motivation, following strife surrounding the flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque site in east Jerusalem, holy to both Jews and Muslims.