Peace Now: 2,066 Settlement Homes To Be Built As Soon As Freeze Ends

[Purveyor]

By Chaim Levinson and Haaretz Service

2,066 new homes would be ready for continued West Bank construction as soon as a moratorium on settlement building is lifted later this month, a report by the Israeli left-wing NGO Peace Now said Sunday, adding that work on another 11,000 potential units could hypothetically start as well.

The Peace Now reports came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting earlier Sunday that while Israel wouldn't necessarily continue its freeze on settlement construction, it was possible that a compromise could be reached in which construction would resume at a slower pace.

"I don't know if there will be a comprehensive freeze," he said. "But I also don't know if it is necessary to construct all of the 20,000 housing units waiting to be built. In any case, it doesn't have to be all or nothing."

The Peace Now report released Sunday indicated that work could proceed on 2,066 housing units, spread out over 42 different settlements since those building projects had already received the required permits and have preliminary foundations.

The report's figures corresponded with previously released data on the subject, which alleged that between 2,000 and 2,500 homes were okayed for continued construction as soon as the settlement freeze expires in September 26.

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HAARETZ: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peace-now-2-066-settlement-homes-to-be-built-as-soon-as-freeze-ends-1.313429

[azurnoir]

1. No surprises there unfortunately n/t