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Israeli settlement building picks up where it left off
The sound of a drill reverberating on the small street in the West Bank settlement of Ariel seems to bother few Jewish settlers here, despite its significance for international efforts to push forward on the peace process.
On Friday, Palestinian leaders will decide whether they'll continue to participate in the U.S.-led peace talks. That decision, they said, will rest largely on how Israel moves forward with construction in the West Bank settlements.
To Palestinians, the settlement construction is a key stumbling block to the talks. The settlements are built on land earmarked for a future Palestinian state and are considered illegal under international law. Chief Palestinian negotiation Saeb Erekat said that the Palestinians consider building on the land a "slap in face" to the peace process.
Several hundred building projects have been started since Israel allowed its freeze on settlement construction to expire on Sept. 26, according to settlement leaders.