WASHINGTON — Political observers to the left of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are calling a release of bids for the construction of new housing units in West Bank settlements an intentional gambit to boost Netanyahu’s Likud party ahead of Israeli elections in mid-March.
On Friday, Israel published what are known as “tenders” for 450 new homes across four existing settlements in the West Bank. The announcement was the first of its kind since October, leading Netanyahu critics to suggest the move is an attempt to curry favor within the nationalistic settler movement ahead of the elections, which are set for March 17.
About 600,000 Israeli civilians now live in settlements in the territories Israel seized from Jordan in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Palestinians hope to establish a state in the territories, and much of the international community consider the construction of settlements there a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace. Israel says the status of the settlements must be decided in negotiations.
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Elsner suggested that Netanyahu had abandoned any pretense of being willing to halt settlement construction ever since talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority faltered. J Street’s position is that the United States government should take more of a leadership role in guiding the two camps toward an agreement.
“What has happened in the last six to eight months is that Netanyahu has dropped any kind of ambivalence and thrown in his lot clearly with the settlement movement, which has pretty much taken over the Likud party,” he said.
