Free Republic

The Ministry of Interior announced today (Sunday) that it has issued official locality designations to eight additional communities, a step marking the final confirmation of their status as fully regulated communities within the State of Israel. This move follows the allocation of 25 locality designations granted recently, bringing the total number of communities formalized over the past four months to 33. The new designation grants administrative and budgetary independence to several strategic locations. .....

The European Union (EU) is unhappy with reports that Israel plans to publish tenders for the sale of 1,400 housing units in Judea and Samaria, Channel 10 News reported on Thursday. A senior EU official who spoke to the channel issued a direct warning to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, saying that the EU would not tolerate new construction in Judea and Samaria. "There will be very little understanding on the part of European governments regarding any announcement of construction in the territories now under negotiations.... .....