Israel denies Shas party claims of new settlement construction, Regev, Erekat

Описание: (14 May 2008) SHOTLIST

Betar Illit settlement, near Jerusalem, West Bank
1. Wide shot wall with lettering (in Hebrew): "Betar Illit", Jewish woman in foreground hitchhiking by roadside
2. Road sign to Betar Illit, in English, Arabic and Hebrew
3. Wide shot pan hillside to settlement
4. Houses in settlement
5. Various of construction work going on

Jerusalem
6. Set up shot of Mark Regev
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Regev, Israeli Prime Minister's Spokesman:
"Israel is not building new settlements, Israel is not outwardly expanding existing settlements. This government, the government of Prime Minister Olmert, has done more than any previous Israeli government to bring under control all unchecked growth in the settlements."
8. Wide shot of Regev

Jericho, West Bank
9. Establisher of Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Saeb Erekat, Palestinian negotiator:
"It's either settlements or peace, they really cannot have both. And the announcement today upon the arrival of President Bush to Israel of the Israeli housing ministry and construction of more settlements is just a reflection of
the flagrant violation of Israel to its commitments emanating from the road map obligations."
11. End shot of Erekat

STORYLINE:

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised to build about 600 apartments in contentious West Bank settlements, an Olmert ally said on Wednesday - an embarrassing disclosure that threatened to sour a visit
by U.S. President George W. Bush.

The announcement came shortly before Bush arrived in Israel to take part in the Jewish state's 60th anniversary celebrations - and to try to nudge forward Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Palestinians want all of the West Bank as part of their future state.

They oppose all Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, saying it undermines peace talks.

Some 270,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements.

New settlement building could help the embattled Olmert keep his coalition together while police investigate corruption suspicions against him, but it would make it tougher for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to convince his people that diplomacy, not violence, could win them a state.

Bush's plane hadn't even landed before the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, a member of Israel's governing coalition, affirmed that Olmert agreed to new construction in the Betar Illit settlement near Jerusalem.

Shas leader Eli Yishai told Israel Radio that the construction would be approved, and another unnamed Shas official said Olmert told Yishai that construction would be approved early next week.

But Olmert spokesman Mark Regev disputed the Shas claim, saying no decision has been made on the project though he did not rule it out in the future.

"Israel is not building new settlements, Israel is not outwardly expanding existing settlements," Mark Regev said, speaking in Jerusalem.

"This government, the government of Prime Minister Olmert, has done more than any previous Israeli government to bring under control all unchecked growth in the settlements," Regev added.

Olmert has ordered the government to stop building new settlements, but has allowed construction to continue in existing communities such as Betar Illit.

Shas has threatened to bolt the coalition and cost Olmert his parliamentary majority if the Israeli leader makes sweeping territorial concessions to the Palestinians.

The latest gesture could help keep the party on his side as he fights for his political survival.




Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denounced the latest report of construction plans.



Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...