Barak eases freeze, okays 100 more units

Ma'an
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave settlement leaders the power to issue building permits, further relaxing an already loose and unenforced moratorium applying to some construction in West Bank settlements.

Israel's daily newspaper Haaretz reported Friday that Barak issued a "revised" version of the settlement freeze that "dictates that the planning powers be returned to local authorities."

... the practical outcome will be that once the freeze is over, the paperwork to permit the construction of what could be thousands of settlement homes will already be in order, so building can start immediately.

The revised order also permits the expansion of existing structures, such as adding rooms, turning garages and balconies into closed rooms. This expanded the earlier relaxation, applied only three weeks after the initial ban was put in place, allowing for more minor renovations and construction.

The announcement came the same day Israel's Ma'ariv newspaper published a plan that okayed the construction of an additional 100 housing units in East Jerusalem settlements. Full story