BICOM

Israel’s government announced two measures over the past three days that have been widely viewed as a response to the Palestinian Authority (PA) having push through a resolution at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Thursday evening, which recognised their delegation as representing a ‘non-member state.’

Israel’s government repeatedly warned that the PA’s decision to bring the UN vote was a unilateral action in violation of agreements between the two sides to resolve issues of Palestinian statehood through bilateral talks. Both the UK and the United States had also warned that the vote would likely damage the prospects of peace talks.

With the resolution overwhelmingly adopted by the UN General Assembly on Thursday evening, Israel’s government announced on Friday that it had given approval to build 3,000 new housing units in large West Bank settlement blocs and East Jerusalem neighbourhoods. According to the Jerusalem Post, a spokesman for the Construction and Housing Ministry said that the units were expected to be built in existing large communities, such as Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumin and the Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Gilo and Pisgat Zeev, rather than new or isolated settlements.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu clarified to ministers yesterday that a green light had been given to zoning and planning in the area known as E1, but not to actual construction. Housing Minister Ariel Attias emphasised to Israel Army Radio that “E1 is in planning, which means sketches on paper…No one will build until it is clear what will be done there.” E1, which is situated on the outskirts of northern Jerusalem, is viewed as particularly sensitive as it is considered important to the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.

Yesterday, in another riposte to last week’s UN vote, Israel’s Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz announced that he would not transfer to the PA an estimated £75 million in tax payments collected this month by Israel on their behalf. Steinitz said that instead “I plan to use them [the taxes] to offset the Palestinian debt to the Israel Electric Corporation,” which provides electricity to the Palestinian territories and is reportedly owed around £130 million by the PA.