Israeli settlement halt not real

A new report by an Israeli body shows that Tel Aviv did not freeze its settlement expansion or even considerably halt it in the occupied Palestinian territories during a self-declared freeze.

The number of homes built during the nearly 10-month halt declined by only about 10 percent, AP reported.

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics said there were 2,790 settlement units in various stages of construction in the third quarter of 2009, before the restrictions were imposed last November.

The number rose to 2,955 in the last quarter of last year, indicating a last-minute surge of housing starts in the days leading up to the freeze, which ends on Sunday.

In the first quarter of this year, the number stood at 2,517 with the freeze in full effect.

Israeli peace activists say there has been no appreciable decline in the settlement expansion since the declaration of the 10-month moratorium by Tel Aviv.

According to the activists, the situation is largely the same in non-residential construction such as commercial buildings, small factories and schools.

The continued Israeli settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories is one of the main obstacles between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority as they engage in direct talks.