Jerusalem
The government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced this week that it would build 1,000 new apartments for Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Palestinian diplomats said the move violated the spirit of the “road map” agreement, which envisions an eventual Palestinian state in the West Bank. “This shows Sharon has no respect for the commitments he gave to President Bush,” said Palestinian spokesman Saeb Erakat. Israeli officials said the new housing had been planned before the “road map” was signed and that it was contained within current settlement boundaries. But even settlers’ groups were displeased, saying the announcement was an empty promise to quiet hard-liners in the Likud Party. “Sharon has no intention of building even one of those houses,” said pro-settler activist Pinhas Wallerstein. “This is ugly manipulation, a political ploy and fraud with a view to the Likud convention.”
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