Israel's Settlement Building Boom

Well, this won’t likely smooth the way for more peace talks. Three months after Israel’s government lifted a freeze on settlement construction, the country has seen a housing boom—particularly in areas that are extremely unlikely to be part of Israel after a potential two-state peace deal. According to the non-government organization Peace Now, Israel is currently building new 2,000 units, and they’ve scheduled 13,000 more. The boom presents another major hurdle for peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinian authorities. If Israel were to be split into two states, thousands of displaced settlers would need accommodations in the would-be Palestinian state where they’re currently living. Experts say there hasn't been this much construction in at least a decade.