Jerusalem, Sept. 13: An Israeli settlement watchdog said on Monday that construction could begin on thousands of new homes this month if Israel does not renew a moratorium seen as key to US-backed peace talks.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, is reportedly planning to let the moratorium expire while curbing construction in order to avoid a showdown with the US President, Mr Barack Obama, who has urged him to extend the restrictions.
The Palestinians have repeatedly threatened to walk out of direct peace talks launched earlier this month if construction resumes, casting a pall over the second round of the negotiations set to be held in Egypt on Tuesday.
The anti-settlement Peace Now group said the construction of some 13,000 new homes for Israeli settlers in the West Bank could proceed immediately after the moratorium expires later this month without any further government action.
The group said, “Ground had already been broken on 2,066 units and that another 11,000 had received final government approval and if government decides on a de facto “tacit freeze,” the settlers can still build 13,000 housing units.”
Another 25,000 units were in the pipeline.