Khalid Amayreh No sooner had the Obama administration announced the resumption of “indirect” talks between Israel and the PA regime than Israel announced new plans to expand Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank . On Tuesday, as visiting  US Vice president Joe Biden was showering Israel  with the usually excessive  praise, the Israeli Interior Ministry, headed by Eli Yeshai, announced plans to build 1600 new settler units in East Jerusalem. Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, Okayed the construction of 112 additional settler units in the West Bank, effectively terminating an earlier half-hearted decision to partially freeze Jewish settlement expansion for eight months. The continued aggrandizement of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is meant to decapitate once and for all the prospects of establishing a viable Palestinian state. In fact, it is more than clear that the Israel... More »