EGYPT CONDEMNS ISRAELI TENDERS FOR 430 NEW SETTLEMENT UNITS

Photo: Ma'an News Agency — **Egypt: Israel’s plans to build 430 new settlements in the West Bank damaged efforts to resume peace talks between Palestinians and Israeli.**(Photo: Ma’an)

Cairo, 11 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/1 February 2015 (MINA) – Egypt’s foreign ministry on Saturday said that Israel’s plans to build 430 new settlement homes in the West Bank damaged efforts to resume peace talks between Palestinians and Israeli.

Ministry spokesman Bader Abd al-Ati said that the tenders for new settlement units contradicted international law.

The ministry called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop settlement activity to move forward with peace talks, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The Israeli government on Friday published tenders to build 430 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, the head of an NGO that monitors settlement activity told AFP.

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“It’s the opening of the settlement floodgates,” said Daniel Seidemann, head of the Terrestrial Jerusalem group, adding that the announcements were the first since October 2014 and unlikely to be the last before the March 17 general election.

He said that the new homes were to be built in four existing settlements across the West Bank — 112 in Adam, 156 in Elkana, 78 in Alfei Menashe and 84 in Kiryat Arba. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)