Israel's Defence Ministry informed the High Court Monday of a plan to build 1,450 apartments in the occupied West Bank, 50 of which have received final approval for construction to begin, dpa reported. Notification of the plan, authorised in 1996, comes as Defence Minister Ehud Barak was set to meet with US President Barack Obama's special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, in Washington Monday in a bid to iron out the Israeli-US dispute over ongoing Israeli construction in the West Bank. The timing of the Defence Ministry's admission could complicate the Israeli government's attempts to reach an understanding with the US on the settlement issue. While Obama is demanding a complete freeze of all Israeli building in the West Bank, the Israeli government has insisted on ongoing construction within existing settlements to accomodate for "natural growth." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas however said Monday that Israel's freezing settlement activity in the West Bank would not be enough to resume negotiations unless it is coupled with Israel's recognition of the two-state solution. He told reporters in Ramallah that Israel should implement its obligations under the road map peace plan, which calls for a total halt to settlement activities.
