Israel vows to build more homes after five killed

Occupied Jerusalem: Israel said yesterday it would build several hundred homes for colonists in occupied West Bank, a day after a Palestinian attack killed an Israeli couple and three of their children in a colony.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special session of a ministerial committee on colonies to approve the step after pledging publicly the stabbings on Saturday would not deter Israel from building more homes for Jews in the West Bank.

Troops searched outside the colony of Itamar, near the Palestinian city of Nablus, for the attacker or attackers who snuck into the home of Ehud and Ruti Fogel at night and knifed them and three of their children, aged 11, 4 and 3 months, as the family slept.

The couple's 12-year-old daughter found their bodies after returning home from an evening youth group meeting.

With anger high in Israel and among colonists, Netanyahu's office said in a statement that "ministers decided to authorise construction" of several hundred housing units in the Etzion bloc of colonies and in Maale Adumim, Ariel and Kiryat Sefer.

The move was likely to draw international dismay and harden Palestinian resolve not to return to peace talks frozen over Netanyahu's refusal to extend a 10-month moratorium that expired in November on housing starts in West Bank colonies.

Road to more issues

"This decision is wrong and unacceptable and will only create problems," said Nabeel Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Expanded construction in West Bank colonies could bolster Netanyahu within his governing coalition, which is dominated by pro-colonist parties, including his own right-wing Likud.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack but the Hamas group which rules the Gaza Strip said they offered their "full support" to any actions taken against colonists.

A senior figure in Hamas's exiled leadership, Izzat Al Rishq, said on Saturday: "We had nothing to do with it." A funeral for the family was to be held later yesterday.

Several hours after the attack, Abbas put out a statement condemning "all acts of violence against civilians, regardless of who carried them out and their motives."

Netanyahu, who spoke with Abbas by phone, said the statements by the Palestinian leadership were not strong enough and it must move to end what he termed incitement against Israelis in Palestinian schools, mosques and media.

No starting date was given for the new housing projects, in colonies Israel has said it intends to keep in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.

Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper put the number of planned homes at 500.