Laborers work at the construction site of a housing project at an illegal Israeli settlement in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), December 2012.[/caption]The Israeli regime plans to build 1,500 new illegal settler units in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), a new report says.
According to the report by the Israeli Army Radio, which was released early on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Gideon Saar have approved the expansion of the illegal settler units in a settlement known as Ramat Shlomo in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Also on Wednesday, the Israeli regime released 26 Palestinian prisoners, as part of a deal for the resumption of the talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
An Israeli official claimed last week that the move was linked to a deal with the PA in exchange for continued settlement construction in the occupied territories. The PA, however, has vehemently denied the allegation, saying the construction activities seriously threaten the talks that resumed in July after a three-year halt.
The existence and continued expansion of the Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine has created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
The Israeli regime has been under fire from the international community, including its own allies, over its expansionist policies.
However, the Tel Aviv regime defies calls to abandon its illegal settlement activities.
Over half a million Israelis live in more than 120 settlements built since Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are thus subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on occupied lands.
By Press TV
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