Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

One of the issues at the top of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agenda during his February visit to Washington was the extent of Israel's planned redeployments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which are scheduled to take place in three stages during the next 18 months, beginning on March 7.

The central factor in the evolving rapprochement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is Israel's withdrawal from lands captured in the June 1967 war. The timing and extent of Israel's redeployments are at the heart of this critical aspect of Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy.

The Netanyahu government has approved landmark settlement construction at Jebel Abu Ghneim. The 1,850 dunam (4 dunams=1 acre) site in the southeast corner of annexed East Jerusalem, named Har Homa (Wall Mountain) by Israel, will eventually house more than 25,000 Israelis living in 6,500 units.