In response to a Palestinian unity government being sworn in this week, Israel has announced the construction of almost 1,500 new homes in various settlements, in a move that has received international condemnation.
The announcement, made by housing Minister Uri Ariel, were what he described “an appropriate Zionist response to the establishment of the Palestinian terror government”, adding that this “will be just the beginning”. He continued, "When Israel is spat upon, it has to do something about it", stating that Israel had been insulted by "our neighbours, and to a certain extent, the world".
Earlier this week, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the Palestinian move, which also saw approval from China.
The decision to build new settlements in response to the Palestinian government formation saw British Foreign Secretary William Hague say he "deplored" Israel's actions and a French statement adding, "Settlements are illegal in the eyes of international law and constitute an obstacle to peace based in a two-state solution.”
The European Union also stated that Israel’s announcement was "unhelpful to peace efforts", with US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf telling reporters,
"As we have consistently said, these actions are unhelpful and counterproductive to achieving a two-state outcome... We continue to view settlements as illegitimate and urge both parties to refrain from unhelpful actions that increase tension and undercut the efforts to find a path forward to a two-state solution… It is very difficult to understand how these settlements contribute to peace.”
The Palestinians also deplored Israel’s actions, with Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in peace talks calling on the international community “to hold this Israeli government and its members accountable under international law.”