Israel-Palestine Special: Why More Settlements Are Vital to West Jerusalem's Long-Term Strategy
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 11:30 | Ali Yenidunya in EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 
On Monday, Israeli authorities authorised plans to expand the Ramat Shlomo settlement, located on Palestinian territory, with 1500 housing units. Reports followed that a total of an additional 6500 apartments across the 1967 Green Line will be approved this week.
The latest steps have received some international attention, with the US State Department criticising Israel's "pattern of provocation".
But here is the important question: does anyone recognise Israel's long-term agenda behind the "pattern"? These settlements are not just being established as a short-term extension of Israel --- they will be maintained as a "natural" and "inalienable" development, given the Palestinian "failure" to meet West Jerusalem's essential need for "security". These apartments are not being built to derail a would-be negotiation process; they are part of the attempt at Israel's perpetual superiority over the Palestinians.