Israel to build housing to retaliate for palestinians' u.n. Moves

Reporting from Jerusalem— After a successful Palestinian bid to join the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, Israel said Tuesday that it would retaliate by issuing tenders for about 2,000 new housing units on land it seized during the 1967 Mideast War.

After meeting with his top advisors, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would order construction of apartments in the Jerusalem area and the West Bank settlements of Gush Etzion and Maaleh Adumim. Officials said about 1,650 units would be built around Jerusalem and the rest in the West Bank.

The government also temporarily suspended payment this month to the Palestinian Authority of about $100 million in tax transfers that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

Israeli officials said the moves came in response to the Palestinian campaign to seek international statehood recognition from United Nations entities and other international organizations. In a vote Monday, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization became the first such entity to afford the Palestinians membership as a state. 

Source: LATimes.com