The Israeli Defense Forces have approved the construction of a new settlement in the West Bank, which will house some families that were expelled from Gaza in the summer of 2005, in a move that has angered the United States. The settlement would be the first of its kind in 10 years. It was announced by the defense ministry after being approved by Amir Peretz, the defense chief. The United States said it was still investigating the details, but the initial reaction was disappointment. We re looking into it, and if turns out to be a new settlement, we would be very concerned, given Israel s obligations under the road map, said Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, the spokeswoman for the American Consulate in Jerusalem. The American ambassador in Tel Aviv, Richard Jones, said that the move was an obstacle to peace, and it ran contrary to the commitments that Israel made in the Road Map.
