Wednesday, February 22, 2012

And the News of Shiloh Comes From...Lebanon

Of all the places from where to get updated, The Daily Star of Lebanon:

Israel to approve 500 new West Bank homes: spokesman

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: An Israeli committee was on Wednesday to approve construction of 500 new homes in the West Bank settlement of Shiloh and retroactively legalise more than 200 built without permits, a spokesman said.

The committee "will meet today to approve construction of 500 units," civil administration spokesman Guy Inbar told AFP, confirming that more than 200 homes, some in a nearby settler outpost, would be legalised "for humanitarian reasons."

Another version:

JERUSALEM: An Israeli committee was on Wednesday to approve construction of 500 new homes in the West Bank settlement of Shilo and retroactively legalise more than 200 built without permits, a spokesman said.

The committee "will meet today to approve construction of 500 units," civil administration spokesman Guy Inbar told AFP.  Asked about reports that more than 200 homes built without a permit, some in the nearby settler outpost of Shvut Rachel, would be legalised, he said: "Yes it's true -- they will be legalised for humanitarian reasons.

...Shiloh is a settlement community village with more than 2,000 residents which lies some 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the northern city of Nablus Shchem.  And Shvut Rahel is a nearby unauthorised [nope. legal]settler outpost which is home to 400 people, and which the government has pledged to retroactively legalise [?].  Press reports said some of the homes which would be granted legal status were in Shiloh while others were in Shvut Rachel.

Yariv Oppenheimer, head of the settlement watchdog Peace Now, described the move as "one of the biggest projects in the territories."  It proved that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "doing everything he could to prevent the creation of two states for two peoples, and is heading towards a bi-national state," he said.

Well, good news is good news from wherever it is reported.

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