The Ministry of Housing, together with the Israel Land Administration, published today two new tenders in settlements:
- 114 units in Givat Hatamar in the settlement of Efrat, south of Bethlehem.
- 84 units in Kiryat Arba near Hebron.
Since December 2011, Efrat got tenders for 289 units, and the tender today brings the number to 401 housing units in Efrat in less than 13 months. This is an increase of approx. 25% of the total housing units in Efrat which is estimated to be 1,600 units. The settlement of Efrat is one of the main obstacles for a viable Palestinian state and any expansion of it could be lethal to the two state solution.
The settlement of Kiryat Araba, is at the heart of the West Bank, adjacent to the city of Hebron. There is no possible agreement in which Israel would annex Kiryat Arba as part of a land swap.