JERUSALEM, Aug 17: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the occupied West Bank to defuse a ruling party mutiny but the move was likely to anger Washington.

US officials suggested the decision, disclosed by Sharon confidants on Tuesday, contradicted Washington's "road map" peace plan that prescribes a freeze on settlement building on territory where Palestinians have been fighting for statehood.

But Housing Minister Tzipi Livni said on Tuesday the construction bids would adhere to "understandings" with Washington that new homes could be erected with in current settlement boundaries. -Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan strikes
26 Dec, 2024

Afghan strikes

AS the state engages with the Afghan Taliban regime diplomatically, more forceful measures are also being employed ...
Revamping tax policy
26 Dec, 2024

Revamping tax policy

THE tax bureaucracy appears to have convinced the government that it can boost revenues simply by taking harsher...
Betraying women voters
26 Dec, 2024

Betraying women voters

THE ECP’s recent pledge to eliminate the gender gap among voters falls flat in the face of troubling revelations...
Kurram ‘roadmap’
Updated 25 Dec, 2024

Kurram ‘roadmap’

The state must provide ironclad guarantees that the local population will be protected from all forms of terrorism.
Snooping state
25 Dec, 2024

Snooping state

THE state’s attempts to pry into citizens’ internet activities continue apace. The latest in this regard is a...
A welcome first step
25 Dec, 2024

A welcome first step

THE commencement of a dialogue between the PTI and the coalition parties occupying the treasury benches in ...