Israel approves another 1,200 settlement units: total approvals to 5,500 in just over a week

Binyamin Netanyahu, who is said to be under pressure to drop a commitment to a two-state solution from his election platform. Photograph: Reuters

Israel has given the green light for the fast-track development of a further 1,200 settlement units around Jerusalem. It brings the total number of new approvals to 5,500 in just over a week, the largest wave of proposed expansion in recent memory.

The latest plan, which would see almost 1,000 new apartments built over Jerusalem's green line in Gilo, comes as the Israeli media is reporting mounting pressure on the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to drop his commitment to a two-state solution from his platform for re-election in January.

The agreement for the Gilo development is only the latest in wave of settlement approvals in Jerusalem agreed by the country's interior ministry and Jerusalem municipality's planning committees before Christmas.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/25/israel-approves-settlement-units-jerusalem