WASHINGTON – The UN Security Council is set to convene next week to discuss a proposal calling on Israel
to halt the expansion of "illegal West Bank settlements".
Expansion Plans
Housing minister: We won't stop building in Jerusalem / Neta Sela
Boim speaks out against division of capital, insists on continuing construction in city despite US objections
The proposal, which has been pushed in recent weeks by a number of Arab countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, followed Israeli Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim's announcement according to which 800 new housing units would be built in Har Homa and Givat Ze'ev.
The plan was immediately slammed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who said it constituted a violation of international law. The US and Europe also criticized the announcement, and members of the Arab League began working toward gaining support for a UN condemnation of the expansion plans.
The US-backed Road Map for peace initiative and the Quartet call for the freezing of Israeli settlement construction, but it remains unclear how the European Union would react to a Security Council resolution against Israel. The US is expected to use its veto power to thwart the proposal before it reaches the Security Council.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to arrive in Israel on Saturday to discuss the issue with senior government officials. Referring to Israel's settlement expansion plans, President George W. Bush told a French television station recently that it is in the Palestinians' interest to establish a state that would "not look like Swiss cheese".
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