Free Republic

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.... .....

Germany called on Israel to refrain from publishing construction tenders in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem saying it sends a "devastating message" for peace efforts. "The Israeli government must be aware that the continuous announcements of new settlements convey a devastating message with a view to the current efforts and resumption of peace negotiations," government spokesman Georg Streiter told reporters. "We strongly urge the Israeli government to refrain from inviting tenders for housing units," Streiter added. Israel's housing and construction ministry said Sunday it would publish tenders for the construction of more than 1,000 housing units to meet natural growth needs...

California has more than 36 million residents and is expected by some projections to have 60 million by 2050. People keep moving here, and yet the state government is doing everything it can to make it harder to build the homes necessary to house everyone. It's already incredibly costly and difficult to get government approvals to build housing developments, as cities micromanage pretty much everything a builder does. People will need to live somewhere. If other counties embrace Marin's overall approach toward development, the newcomers will have nowhere to live – even as Marin officials bask in their moral superiority....