Construction in Beitar Illit
צילום: דורון שפר
Leftists slam West Bank construction
Peace Now claims Israel violates Road Map agreements by carrying on construction in West Bank; says Construction and Housing Ministry has issued tenders for 1,131 units since beginning of 2005
The Construction and Housing Ministry published Monday tenders for the construction of 150 residential units in the Beitar Illit settlement and another 78 in Efrat, both located in the West Bank.
According to left-wing group Peace Now, the ministry has published tenders for 1,131 units since the beginning of the year, issuing most after it was decided to push forward elections.
"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's underhanded opportunism and the construction of hundreds of housing units in the occupied territories constitute a violation to the Road Map peace plan and harms Israel's interest," Peace Now said in a statement.
Former Secretary General of the organization Yariv Oppenheimer told Ynet, "Just like we have an elections-economy, we have here a settlements-economy. The tenders issued over the past two months for construction in the West Bank top the number of the rest of the tenders in the entire year."
"Sharon prides himself in the peace plan, while at the same time brutally violates the commitment to halt construction in the settlements," Oppenheimer added.
