http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=09/12/00&id=92395
Settlement building up 96% in 2000
By Nadav Shragai,
Ha'aretz Correspondent, Tuesday, September 12, 2000
Construction in the settlements increased by 96 percent during the first
half of the year, according to figures from the Housing and Construction
Ministry. The figures, released yesterday by MK Mussi Raz (Meretz),
show that work began on 1,067 residential units in the first six months of
2000, compared to 545 units during the same period in 1999.
The statistics show that construction is underway on 860 residential units
in settlements in the Jerusalem district and on 207 units in other
settlements around the country.
Since Ehud Barak's government took office in July 1999, ground has been
broken on 1,924 residential units in the settlements (1,384 in the
Jerusalem district and 540 elsewhere), as opposed to 1,845 in 1998 and
1,160 in 1997.
The Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements in the territories notes that most
of the construction is being carried out in areas that will remain under
Israeli sovereignty if an agreement with the Palestinians is ever signed.
Raz believes that building in all settlements should be frozen, and attacked
the tender issued yesterday for 80 living units in Har Adar. Yesha thus
feels that Raz and the Peace Now movement are going even further than
the plans Barak has presented to U.S. President Bill Clinton and
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=08/22/00&id=90063
Settlement building up 81% in first quarter
By Baruch Kra,
Ha'aretz Correspondent,
Tuesday, August 22, 2000
The first quarter of 2000 saw a 81 percent increase in construction in the
settlements, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
The figures show that in the first three months of this year, work began
on 1,000 new buildings, compared to 550 in the last quarter of 1999.
The greatest increase came in private construction, which rose by 141
percent (410 units in the first quarter of 2000, compared to 170 the
previous quarter).
Construction work on public buildings increased by 55 percent (590 new
buildings compared to 380 in the previous quarter).
The ascending numbers correspond to Ehud Barak's rise to power - in the
months of May and July 1999, construction work began on 720 new buildings
in the settlements. Former Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Levy
(National Religious Party) seems to have helped protect the interest of
the settlers. However, construction fell between the months of August and
October 1999, with only 550 new buildings. The upward trend however
returned with the onset of the new millennium.
"The prime minister carries most of the burden of responsibility, since,
despite his clear promises, he did not alter the map of national priority
zones," said Gabi Lasky, the general-secretary of the Peace Now movement.
She added that she hopes acting Housing Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
"will work to correct the situation."
In contrast to the 1992 elections when prime minister Yitzhak Rabin
altered the national priority zones, Barak has left in place those set by
his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu. Under the current maps, most
settlements enjoy the status of Priority Zone A and thus are entitled to
considerable housing and construction benefits, of which private
contractors reap most of the rewards.
