以色列宣佈計劃在西岸增建定居點住房

Israel has announced plans for 1,400 new settlement homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a move certain to upset Palestinians during a time of already fragile peace talks.

The Israeli Housing Ministry on Friday announced that 800 homes would be built in the West Bank and 600 in East Jerusalem, both areas occupied by Israel's military since 1967.

The move had been expected as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to calm concerns by some in his government about the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The 26 prisoners were freed last month as part of a peace effort brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Israeli officials said they waited until Kerry left the region to announce the settlements.

Palestinians have threatened to walk out of the talks, and possibly pursue legal action, if Israel goes ahead with the settlements, which are built on land Palestinians want as part of a separate state.以色列宣佈計劃在約旦河西岸和東耶路撒冷修建1400個新住宅。在脆弱的巴以和談進行之際，以色列的決定肯定會讓巴勒斯坦人感到不安。

以色列住房部星期五宣佈將在以色列軍隊1967年以來佔領的約旦河西岸和東耶路撒冷分別修建800和600個定居點住房。

據信以色列總理內塔尼亞胡企圖以此來平息部分內閣成員對釋放巴勒斯坦囚犯的不滿。

根據由美國國務卿克里斡旋達成的協議，以色列上個月釋放了26名巴勒斯坦囚犯。以色列官員說，他們等克里離開中東之後才宣佈了增建定居點住房的計劃。

巴勒斯坦人威脅說，如果以色列實施這個計劃，他們就會退出談判，甚至可能採取法律行動。這些住宅將建在巴勒斯坦人希望未來建立的巴勒斯坦國的土地上。