Israel 'set to build' settlement

An Israeli committee has approved the construction of a new settlement in the occupied West Bank, according to an Israeli official.

If implemented, it will be the first new settlement for a decade.

Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, has yet to decisively approve the plan to build the Maskiot settlement, the official said on Thursday.

But Barak has made it clear to the national planning committee that it should authorise the settlement's construction, paving the way for Barak to give the final go-ahead for the project.

Israel's defence ministry has not yet announced the settlement, which will be sited in the Jordan Valley Rift if authorisation is granted.

Talks 'threatened'

The latest move to build the Maskiot settlement comes two years after Israel froze the plan amid criticism from the international community.

But earlier this year, nine Israeli families settled in mobile homes at Maskiot, an area which Palestinians claim as part of their future state.

Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said the Israeli plan would damage US-backed peace talks towards a two-state solution.

"This is destroying the process of a two-state solution ... I hope the Americans will make the Israelis revoke the decision. I think they can make the Israelis do this," he said.