Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday that he had taken steps to build 3,500 new homes in the West Bank, as the Palestinian presidency was quick to say that Israel was "working to push things toward the abyss" by endorsing more plans for settlement expansion.
New settlement homes are being built in the controversial E-1 area, between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, according to Israeli media. A spokeswoman for the "Likud" Netanyahu party confirmed that he made this announcement in a party event, but did not provide more details. The announcement came less than a week before the Israeli elections.
The "E-1" is a particularly sensitive issue in Israeli-Palestinian relations, because it will effectively divide the West Bank into two parts.
Building plans in the region have sparked international outrage in the past, including a storm of protests in Europe. Opponents say the plan threatens the geographical continuity of a future Palestinian state.
And in Ramallah, the Palestinian presidency said yesterday that Israel was "working to push things toward the abyss", by approving more plans for settlement expansion.
The presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina, condemned Netanyahu's decision to approve the construction of 3,500 new settlement units in the E-1 area, east of Jerusalem, according to the official Palestinian News Agency published.
Abu Rudaina considered that "this decision is a result of the biased and dangerous American policy in the interest of the occupation, which led to a situation that constitutes a violation of international law and a violation of the red lines, and contrary to the resolution issued by the Security Council No. 2334, which considers all settlement illegal, and which was taken unanimously."
He said that Netanyahu's decision is a challenge to the statement issued two days ago by the UN Security Council unanimously, considering that settlement affects the two-state solution, and negotiations based on international legitimacy resolutions to resolve final status issues.
He added: "We warn the Israeli government against continuing this escalatory policy that will not bring security and stability to anyone, but rather will increase tension and violence in the region."
On the other hand, yesterday, the Israeli occupation army launched a massive campaign of arrests in the West Bank, targeting 16 Palestinian citizens, while the Israeli occupation forces stormed a number of homes in Hebron, Jerusalem, Nablus and Ramallah, before the arrest operation.
On the other hand, calm returned, yesterday, to the cover area of Gaza and the southern cities of Israel, after two days of tension, interspersed with the launch of 100 rockets from the Gaza Strip.
The 13th Hebrew Channel reported yesterday that after reaching an international and Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Gaza, routine life will be revived in Gaza's cover settlements.
The battlefront subsided, early yesterday morning, after a Palestinian official said that Israel and the "jihad" movement had reached a mutual and simultaneous cease-fire.
"This round has ended, but the resistance has promised its people that every aggression from the occupation will be met by a reaction from the resistance," Khader Habib, a leader in the "jihad", told Reuters.
The Israeli army said that it reopened roads near the Gaza border yesterday, which were closed at the start of the fighting, and that train services will resume in the area.
But the army kept the border crossings with Gaza closed, except for humanitarian cases, indicating security considerations, and preventing Palestinian fishermen from going to the sea.
The Occupation Forces arrest 16 Palestinians in the West Bank, and calm returns to Gaza after a two-day escalation.