World powers condemn Israeli settlement move

According to media reports, the new public condemnation of Israel came amid intense efforts by Tony Blair, the diplomatic Quartet’s special envoy, to get the Palestinians and Israelis back into direct talks.“The Quartet is greatly concerned by Israel’s recent announcements to advance planning for new housing units in Ariel and east Jerusalem,” the four said in a statement. “This comes at a critical juncture with Quartet efforts ongoing to resume negotiations which are the only way to a just and durable solution to the conflict,” added the statement.Israel on Monday approved the building of 277 new homes in Ariel, a Jewish settlement inside the occupied West Bank, taking the total to more than 2,700 new settler homes approved in the past two weeks.The planned expansion has brought a furious response from the Palestinian Authority, which has shunned direct talks since Israel ended a moratorium on settlement building in September last year.Israel has rejected the international criticism, insisting that the settlements are not an obstacle to direct talks.“The Palestinians have negotiated many times when settlements were in existence,” said Israel’s UN ambassador Ron Prosor. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put in place a freeze on settlements, during which Palestinians waited nine months to come back to the table. Why? They have learned that it is better for them to sit back and do absolutely nothing.”The two sides are building up to a new diplomatic confrontation as Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas prepares to seek full United Nations membership at the UN General Assembly in September.Israel says this is a threat to the peace process and the United States is expected to veto any application to the UN Security Council.