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A report in this morning’s Haaretz claims that Israel’s Civil Administration has agreed to delay construction plans announced last week for 1,800 homes in the West Bank, following consultations with European diplomats.

Housing Minister Uri Ariel announced the building plans last week, in response to the establishment of a new Palestinian unity government which has the backing of Hamas. The planned construction is confined almost exclusively to locations in West Bank settlement blocs, which most assume will remain part of Israel under any future peace deal. However, the move was criticised by some Israeli leaders, including Justice Minister and chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni, who said it served the interests of Ariel’s Jewish Home party.

Haaretz says that on Tuesday, UK Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould and his French counterpart Patrick Maisonnave met with National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen and told him that their governments want Israel to hold off on advancing plans for the 1,800 homes. The same message was reportedly subsequently relayed by the ambassadors of Spain, Italy and Germany.

As a result, Haaretz says that the Civil Administration’s High Planning Council has consequently approved plans for just 381 of the 1,800 homes, all of which are situated in Givat Ze’ev on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The report quotes High Planning Council chairman Daniel Halimi, who said that he had been instructed to delay the construction plans and another source said that, “Apparently the decision came from high up.”

Meanwhile, a separate report on Army Radio this morning claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended the plans under pressure from key coalition member, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who has called for a  freeze in construction beyond the major settlement blocs.