35% construction increase in settlements in 2003

[Aidoneus]

Last Update: 02/03/2004 22:28
35% construction increase in settlements in 2003
By Moti Bassok, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies

The Palestinian government criticized Tuesday the 35-percent increase in settlement construction in 2003, saying it shows Israel is not committed to the U.S.-backed road map, which calls for a halt to such construction.

Work started on 1,849 housing units in settlements during 2003, up from 1,369 in 2002, according to figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.

The trend in settlement building ran counter to a slump in overall Israeli housing starts, which fell 8 percent in 2003, to its lowest level in 14 years. The CBS figures show that the building industry is sinking deeper into crisis.

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The only place besides the settlements that saw a spurt in building activity was Haifa, where there was work began on 3,238 new apartments, an increase of 5 percent on the previous year.

Tel Aviv and the south of the country saw the sharpest fall in the number of building starts, 23 percent down on 2002 in both areas, while in Jerusalem the number of building starts fell 15 percent.

--snip--

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/400381.html

[Darranar]

1. Deleted by poster.

[Herschel]

2. Gratifying

to see your views becoming more pragmatic.

[Forkboy]

3. Who could not want to be like you?