Construction in Israeli settlements over the Green Line jumped by 20 percent in 2011, the left-wing Peace Now organization said at a press conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Peace Now said that 1,577 tenders, also a record, were advertised in 2011 for new buildings in Judea and Samaria. The number of buildings covered by those tenders was not specified, but about 11 percent of them were for legal settlements, and included 680 structures housing 2,300 residents.
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The information was based on aerial photographs and land surveys. According to Peace Now, 3,690 housing units were approved for building in east Jerusalem and plans for an additional 2,660 units were unveiled.
One of the most prominent building plan is for 983 units in Har Homa Gimmel, in east Jerusalem over the Green Line, in a new neighborhood to be called Givat Hamatos.
"[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's government has broken the record and has significantly accelerated building in the settlements. At this pace, the two-state solution is in danger," Peace Now Director-General Yariv Oppenheimer said.
Israel insists on negotiations without conditions, noting that the Palestinians have not demanded a settlement construction freeze as a condition for talks in the past. The Palestinians say continued construction in these areas, now home to some 500,000 Israelis, is a sign of bad faith. Israel annexed east Jerusalem after the 1967 Six-Day War and does not consider housing there to be settlements. The international community does not recognize the annexation.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev rejected the criticism, saying that Israel continues to "exercise great restraint" in its settlement construction. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under heavy criticism by settler leaders for not building enough in the West Bank. "We have shown more restraint on the issue of settlement than any previous Israeli government," Regev said.
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