Defiant colonists break construction freeze

Occupied Jerusalem: Hours before peace talks were set to begin in Washington, Jewish colonists defiantly announced plans on Thursday to launch new construction in their West Bank colonies in a test of strength with Palestinian Islamists.

Naftali Bennett, director of the colonists' Yesha council, told Reuters colonists would begin building homes and public structures in at least 80 colonies, breaking a partial government freeze on building that ends on September 26.

"The idea is that de facto it [the freeze] is over," Bennett said, criticising the US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian talks as aiming for a "phony peace" and rejecting Palestinian demands for a halt to colony building on land they want for a state.

"Once they understand Israelis are here to stay and only growing stronger day by day, they will give up," Bennett said.

The colonists, who have threatened to depose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he does not let them resume building after September 26, ended the freeze unilaterally on Wednesday, the day after gunmen killed four colonists in the occupied West Bank.

Pro-colonist parties are a majority in Netanyahu's right-wing coalition and a number of cabinet ministers have already backed demands to resume colony construction.

Earth-moving vehicles and cement mixers went to work in several colonies on Wednesday, breaking ground for homes and community centres.