A new settlement will be built in the Jordan Valley for the first time in 26 years, Army Radio reported Monday morning.
The new construction is set to take place in Maskiot, where 10 families evacuated from the former Gaza settlement of Shirat Hayam now live in trailers.
A tender was issued recently to build 20 new residential units, and according to the report, construction was due to commence immediately.
An adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the move at Maskiot proved Israel was tightening its hold on the West Bank.
"With the decision coming while Netanyahu is visiting Washington, only one message comes out of this visit: Israel will continue its old policy and will not abide by the international will and give the Palestinians their national rights," Sabri Saidam said.
Located behind a hill and off of a rural road, Maskiot housed only a small Orthodox pre-military academy until the arrival of the Shirat Hayam families, the first of whom came early in 2007 and settled in two empty structures belonging to the school. Although the site has been designated as a settlement since the mid-1980s, it has only been used for educational purposes and no permanent community had ever been established there.
Settlers have said Maskiot is technically not a new settlement because of its history as a military outpost. But Hagit Ofran of the Israeli group Peace Now, which opposed settlement construction, said moving in civilians changes the site's status. "This is a new settlement in all respects," she said.
The Shirat Hayam project was given initial approval by then-defense minister Shaul Mofaz and prime minister Ariel Sharon in the fall of 2005. In December 2006, then-defense minister Amir Peretz tried to give the project its final set of authorizations, but changed his mind after the international community, including the United States, condemned the move.
The families moved into the area after becoming impatient with the length of time it was taking to obtain building permits.
Head of the local council David Elhayani told Army Radio that everything was done legally.
"There is a consensus within the Zionist parties that the Jordan Valley must remain under Israeli control in any agreement that may be reached," he said. "The Jordan Valley must be strengthened for the sake of security…."
Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer said the move was an expression of Netanyahu's plan to thwart any efforts to establish a Palestinian state.
"It is clear that Netanyahu does not intend to commit to the two-state solution," he said. "His policy is to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state for years to come. The way to do this is to build settlements and make all of us - Jews and Arabs - live in one state."
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