Defense Minister Ehud Barak has authorized the building of 300 new homes in the West Bank, defying U.S. calls for a halt to settlement growth.
According to Army Radio said 60 of the 300 homes slated for the Talmon settlement in the West Bank have already been built and that Barak had approved plans to construct another 240 units there.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
The World Court has ruled all settlements illegal under international law. The United States and European Union regard them as obstacles to peace.
Palestinians, who want their own state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, see the settlements as a land grab meant to deny them a viable state.
Lest you think there is any difference between Likud and Labor on this issue, I hope this story dispels that notion.
The ball is now clearly in Obama's court. Israel is obviously taking advantage of the current situation in Iran, believing that Obama won't raise a hue and cry while he's taking a measured approach to Iran. This is clearly a test of Obama's policy, and his backbone. If he fails to respond in a tangible way to this Israeli defiance, he will risk appearing to be a paper tiger, alienate Palestinians and the Arab nations, and greatly lessen the chance for a settlement anytime soon. He needs to step up to the plate.