Christian housing faces Israeli encirclement

Residents of a Palestinian Christian housing project in the West Bank village of Beit Sahour say Israel is encircling their community with a security road to separate them from a nearby Jewish settlement.

“With this situation they will put us in a cage, a zoo,” said William Sahouri, 42, a resident and member of the project’s housing committee. “We will not be able to expand.”

The project lies close to Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, where the Greek Orthodox Sahouri family live in a modern three-bedroom home, with two flat-screen televisions and a small bar displaying a collection of whiskies and other liquors.

For full article, visit http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSLB710547

Increased Reports that Next Israeli Government to Advance West Bank Settlement Construction in E1

Israeli media reports have flourished in the past week concerning Israeli plans to move forward with construction of the Mevasseret Adumim neighbourhood in the “E1 Area”, which would link between the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim and Jerusalem, further cutting East Jerusalem off from the West Bank and splitting the West Bank into two. Israeli army radio even quoted sources claiming that future Prime Minister Netanyahu has struck a secret deal with Israel Beitenu Chairperson Avigdor Liberman concerning advancement of these plans as part of the coalition government agreements.

Expansion of Maaleh Adumim Settlement (E1)

For full article, visit http://www.alternativenews.org/content/view/1666/110/

Norway ‘invests in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank’

n 2008 the Norwegian Government Pension Fund invested 5.5 million NOK (860,000 US dollars) of tax money in the Africa-Israel investment company, which has been linked to the Israeli settlement industry.

The company has built and continues to build illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank through its subsidiary construction firm Danya Cebus. Among the illegal settlements are Har Homa in Bethlehem and Ma’aleh Adumim near East Jerusalem.

Source: http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36703