Palestinian women wait to cross blocked road near Kfar Darom settlement in the Gaza Strip. (AP)

	The official Israeli position regarding settlements
	To evacuate, or not to evacuate
	An Israeli perspective: Can the settlers be evacuated? Uri Avnery, Media Monitors Network
	Open Letter to the Jews of Yesha Nadav Ha'etzni, Gamla
	Diplomatic efforts intensify; talks end in gunfire

"There will be no exceptions to this policy," Peres said, "and other declarations on this matter are baseless."

In a statement issued by the Prime Minister's office on Friday, Sharon said that he wished to "clarify and emphasize that there is no change in the government's guidelines, which state that new settlements will not be established. Building permits in existing communities are considered according to the natural population increase there, and in accordance with the approved building master plan."

At the end of last week, Housing Minister Natan Sharansky said the tenders published by his Ministry - for 500 units in Maaleh Adumim and 200 at Alfei Menashe - were intended to "strengthen the [Jewish] settlers" in the wake of Palestinian attacks on settlements in recent days.

Palestinians were quick to raise their objections to the Israeli announcement. "Settlements are illegal and to say they will not build new ones but will extend existing ones is deception," said Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), chief Palestinian negotiator.

Abu Mazen made it clear that the cessation of settlement activity was a Palestinian condition for renewed negotiations. "Halting all kinds of settlement activity, be it expanding existing ones or building new ones, is a basic condition that has to be met if Israel wants to show it is really serious about having fruitful negotiations," he said.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher voiced more opposition to the Israeli declaration by saying "Continuing settlement activity by Israel does risk further inflaming an already volatile situation in the region."

The international press was also highly critical of Israel's settlement policy. In a lead editorial the San Francisco Chronicle wrote "Settlement expansion plays well to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's restive constituency, but may further delay the time when all this agony can end."

The European Union's presidium issued a statement last Thursday saying that "all settlements are illegal," and called for an end to settlement activity. In its official policy regarding Jewish settlements in the territories, Israel's government disputes this claim and defends its construction activities.

In its lead editorial today, Ha'aretz called for an end to settlement construction. "A government which seeks to argue that its goal is to reach a solution to the conflict with the Palestinians through peaceful means, and is trying at this stage to bring about an end to the violence and terrorism, must announce an end to construction in the settlements," Ha'aretz wrote.

In Israel, the population is divided over the possibility of evacuating settlements, or allowing their continued construction.

Surprisingly, both sides appear to agree that settlements are an obstacle to peace. Those who call for their evacuation do see in the hopes that it would result in renewed negotiations. Those who defend Jewish settlements, do so because they oppose a peace that would give Palestinians control over what they believe is sovereign Israeli territory.

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