Israel has approved the construction of 200 new homes in a major Jewish settlement in the West Bank.
Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz's decision to allow more houses to be built in the Ariel settlement follows news last week that an additional 600 housing units were slated for Maale Adumim, Israel's biggest West Bank settlement, near Jerusalem.
Government officials said the Housing Ministry had yet to invite contractors to bid on the housing projects in Ariel, which has a population of 18,000, or in Maale Adumim, where 30,000 settlers live.
Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said Mofaz's approval of construction in Ariel was a 'flagrant violation of the road map and all the promises made by the Israeli government to the Americans'.
Washington voiced reservations last week about any construction in Maale Adumim and called on the Israeli government to abide by the road map.
