A key committee has approved a new Jewish settlement in the West Bank, an Israeli official said Thursday. The only hurdle that remains is the approval of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who signaled to the national planning committee that it should authorize the plan to build the Maskiot settlement and that he would approve it within weeks, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the Defense Ministry did not officially announce the settlement would be built in the Jordan Valley Rift, an arid north-south strip that forms Israel's eastern flank with Jordan. Asked why Israel was moving ahead on this politically charged plan he replied that it has been in the pipeline for years. Israel originally announced in 2006 that it would build Maskiot, then froze the plan after it provoked an international outcry. But earlier this year, in a wildcat move, nine Israeli families settled in mobile homes at the site, which Palestinians claim as part of a future state. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Israel of undermining US-backed peace talks. “This is destroying the process of a two-state solution,” Erekat said.
