Israelissued on Monday, April 18, a tenderinviting bids for the constructionof 50 new housing units inside a settlementin the occupied northernWest Bank, as Premier Ariel Sharon gave a strongindication of delayingthe planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts ofthe West Bank.
YaakovHarel,a spokesman for the Israel Lands Authority, said the tender hadbeenissued for the settlement of Elkana, which is currently home tomore than 3,250Jewish settlers, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Thehouses “will be built by private entrepreneurs on state land,” he told AFP.
Elkanais some six kilometers (four miles) on the Palestinian side of theinternationally-recognized border between Israeland the West Bank known as the Green Line,according to AFP.
Harelfurtheradded that the infrastructure work (for the new houses) hasbeencompleted, and construction of the homes could begin in two orthree months,reported Israel’sdaily Ha’aretz.
Thetender comes less than a week after US President George W. Bush told Sharon to abide by theinternationally-drafted roadmap peace plan which expressly forbids anyexpansion of Jewish settlements.
Italso came only four days after the UN Commission on Human Rights adopted aresolution condemning Israel’ssettlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories, pressing for animmediate freeze.
TheIsraelimove is sure to draw fiery reactions from the Palestinians, buttherewas no immediate reaction to Monday’s announcement.
Violation
Themovewas immediately denounced by the Israeli anti-settlement watchdogPeaceNow as a clear violation of the government’s commitments under apeace planknown as the roadmap.
“Thisconstruction is clearly part of Sharon’s plan toreinforce control of the settlement blocs in the West Bank despite of thecommitments made by Israel,”Peace Now spokesman Dror Etkes told AFP.
“Thiskind of expansion bolsters extremists on both sides,” he added.
Aspokesman at the US embassyin Tel Aviv reiterated Monday that Israel was obliged to freeze allsettlement activity under the roadmap.
“Whatthe president said last week remains our policy. Under the roadmap, settlementactivity must cease,” Paul Patin told AFP.
AWesterndiplomatic source said the plan to expand Elkana was”clearlyinconsistent” with the spirit of the roadmap and invitedcynicism about theIsraeli government’s intentions.
IsraeliDefenseMinister Shaul Mofaz recently approved plans to build 3,500 new homesatthe settlement of Maaleh Adumim on the outskirts of Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem).
Gaza Pullout Delay
Thedeclaration of enlarging settlements was not the only defiant move by Israel Monday,as it coincided with another step that was bound to put heavy challenges on thecurrent shaky ceasefire.
Sharongave a strong indication that hewill delay the evacuation of settlersfrom the Gaza Strip to avoid clashingwith a Jewish mourning period,according to AFP.
Askedabout reports that he would put back by three weeks the withdrawal, originallydue to start on July 20, Sharonsaid: “We must do everything we can to facilitate the evacuation”.
Theheadof the disengagement office, Jonathan Bassi, suggested at acabinetmeeting on Sunday, April 17, that the month-long operation bepostponed toallow observant Jews to mourn the destruction of theso-called second JewishTemple.
Theweek-long commemoration culminates this year on August 14, when many Jews willobserve a 24-hour fast.
VicePremier Shimon Peres, on a visit to Paris,also confirmed that a delay was on the cards.
“Ithinkthat, for religious reasons, we can delay (the withdrawal) by twoorthree weeks,” Peres told French television station LCI.
Asource close to Sharonhadsaid the premier was studying the proposal but was wary of agreeing toa delaywhich could lead to disruption for pupils at the start of thenew school year.
“Wehavealready thought about this but there is a problem over the start oftheschool year which begins on September 1,” the source told AFP.
“SeriousMistake”
ButIsraeli Interior Minister Ofer Pines, a member of the center-left Labour party,warned against any postponement.
“Sucha decision would be a serious mistake which would make the pullout much moredifficult,” he told the Israeli public radio.
Oneof the leaders of the settler movement, Pinhas Wallerstein, said he was amazedthat Sharon hadset a start date for the operation without looking at the Jewish calendar.
“Theactualdate matters very little. The important thing is to preventthisevacuation,” Wallerstein, a senior member of the Yesha settlerscouncil, toldthe Israeli army radio.
All8,000 Gaza settlers and several hundred livingin four small Jewish enclaves in the northern West Bank are to be evacuatedunder Sharon’sso-called disengagement plan.