It never ends.
Some 1,700 dunams* of land in the northern part of Efrat were declared state land last week, paving the way for the West Bank settlement to start the process of seeking government approval to build there.
The Civil Administration issued the declaration after rejecting eight appeals by Palestinians against the move.
. . . .
Efrat, with around 9,000 residents, is the largest settlement in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, and Givat Ha'eytam is the last unbuilt hill of the seven within the town's jurisdiction. Despite being the hill nearest Jerusalem, Ha'eytam lies outside the planned route of the separation fence, which has yet to be built in this area.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
* There are about 4 dunams to one acre.
The PA, or course, is not pleased. The U.S., of course, has so far remained silent.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday strongly criticized an Israeli decision to seize more Palestinian land in the West Bank for settlement expansion. He said that "unless settlements are brought to a halt, then talks [with Israel] will be meaningless and useless."
http://www.haaretz.com/...
While, as the first article notes, breaking of ground may be a ways off, with the likely new right to far right government, it may not be that far off:
Since the outcome of the elections makes it likely that the next government will lean more to the right than the current one, Efrat plans to wait until the new government takes office before submitting its request.
Israel has continuously violated its committments under the road map, and to the U.S., regarding expansion of settlement activity. Not to mention that what they are doing is a continous violation of international law. Yet the most the U.S. will do is issue empty statements of concern. The majority of the incoming Israeli government still adheres to the "Land of Israel," or "Greater Israel," ideology that leaves no room for a viable, sovereign Palestinian state.
So push will soon come to shove, and the Obama administration will be faced with the decision of continuing the same policy of appeasing Israel or moving towards an independent stance in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We'll see