Olmert announces settlement activities in Jerusalem and the West Bank

[ 31/03/2008 - 05:23 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Israeli occupation government premier, Ehud Olmert, announced Monday that the construction in the Jewish neighborhoods in occupied Jerusalem and the large settlement units in the West Bank would continue because they would remain under Israel's sovereignty in any agreement with the PA.

This announcement came two days after Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni reiterated her rejection of the idea of the return of Palestinian refugees who had been forcibly displaced from their land six decades ago, demanding that the PA should write the right of return off the negotiation agenda if it wants a Palestinian state.

Despite these serious Israeli stands, PA chief Mahmoud Abbas insists on continuing his talks with Israel and rebuffing any initiatives calling for national dialog.

Israeli Ma'ariv newspaper revealed Sunday that Livni and PA negotiator Ahmed Qurei have been holding vigorous secret negotiations for months in hotels and apartments in Jerusalem to discuss issues of the permanent status away from the media.

Press sources in 1948 occupied lands reported that the Israeli premier recently approved the construction of 48 settlement units in the Ari'il settlement in the northern West Bank.

In another context, an official document classified as highly confidential disclosed that some security elements believed to be affiliated with the preventive security carried out espionage through planting very tiny listening devices in places used by the PA chief in his Gaza office before the last June events.

The document which was posted in the Palestine Now website revealed that the PA intelligence chief assigned his technical crew in June 2005 to conduct checks in Abbas's office in search for electronic bugs.

According to the document, the intelligence technical crew managed then to find out many listening devices attached below and inside tables and chairs in Abbas's office.

Palestinian sources expressed fears that those espionage operations against the PA chief had affected many of his stands on Palestinian issues especially on the national constants.

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