Israel announces new settlements despite ongoing peace negotiations with Palestine

As Israel and Palestine undergo peace talks, several Palestinian negotiators are calling out Israel, saying that as long as Israel continues with settlement expansion, it is not looking for peace.

Al-Jazeera News is reporting Israel’s housing minister announced Sunday that it plans to build 12-hundred homes for settlers along annexed East Jerusalem and West Bank. 

The West Bank is an area along the Jordan River that forms the main part of the Palestinian Territories.  

Palestinian chief negotiator says that Israel’s continued settlement activity represents "dictations not negotiations."

Most of the international community sees Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal. 

The second round of peace negociations are expected to begin on Wednesday in Jerusalem.

Flickr Photo by: maher

STORY WRITTEN BY: NATASHA TAGGART