On Thursday, Washington sources said that the Bush Administration did not plan to publicly confront the Israeli government over newly approved plans to build 3,500 new homes to the west of Ma'aleh Adumim. According to the sources, quoted on Israel Radio, the administration, while opposed in principle to all expansion of settlements and to the new building at Ma'aleh Adumim in particular, does not want to spark a row on the issue with Sharon so as not to further complicate his efforts to push the budget through the Knesset this week and thus cement the legislative process ahead of the...