"The first, most explosive 'circle of construction' in East Jerusalem is in the Old City," Orly Noy of Ir Amim organization told Haaretz on Thursday, March 11.
"The second circle is the ideological settlements being built in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods in the historic basin and the third is expanding the existing neighborhoods in the east of the city."
Planning officials said the new settlement units are in various stages of planning and approval.
They include building 3,000 units in Gilo settlement, 1,500 in Har Homa, 1,500 in Pisgat Ze’ev, 3,500 in Givat Hamatos, 1,200 in Ramot, 6,00 in Armon Hziv and 450 in Neveh Yaakov.
“(The construction) will move Israel beyond the point of no return, as far as an agreed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is concerned," said Noy.
The Israeli government announced Tuesday plans to build 1,600 units in the settlement of Ramat Shlomo in Al-Quds, together with public facilities and spaces, including a new central park.
The plans drew worldwide condemnations, with the United States and the United Nations slamming the move as an obstacle to peace.
There are more than 164 Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, eating up more than 40 percent of the occupied territory.
The international community considers all Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land illegal.
No Talks
The Israeli plans come as the Palestinians pulled out of indirect negotiations with Israel over the non-stop settlement activities.
“The Palestinian president (Mahmoud Abbas) decided he will not enter into those negotiations now,” Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa told a news conference following an urgent meeting of Arab delegates late Wednesday.
“The Palestinian side is not ready to negotiate under the present circumstances."
The Palestinian Authority confirmed it cancelled plans for indirect talks with Israel over the settlement building.
"Abbas has told Mussa that he informed (US Vice President Joe) Biden yesterday that he could not restart negotiations without the cancellation of the building of 1,600 housing units in east Jerusalem," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"He told Mussa, 'I am waiting for (US Middle East envoy George) Mitchell to come back next week to give us the answer that the decision has been cancelled'."
The move came a week after Arab foreign ministers agreed to back one last round of indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks.
"Our position is clear: there cannot be talks, direct or indirect, if the recent Israeli decisions are not cancelled," Mussa said.
Israel's continued expansion of settlements is one of the biggest obstacles to the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu rejected calls by US President Barack Obama to freeze settlement building to help resume peace talks.
Under US pressures, he only agreed to a 10-month moratorium of settlement building in the West Bank, except for Al-Quds.
However, the Israeli group Peace Now revealed last month that construction was continuing in quarter of Israeli settlement in the West Bank despite the moratorium.
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