New York Times versus the truth about Israeli settlements

In the New York Times, Isabel Kershner wrote:

 

If Israel built all the housing units already approved in the nation's overall master plan for settlements, it would almost double the number of settler homes in the West Bank, according to unpublished official data provided to The New York Times. (emphasis added).

 

The assertion is not true. What she is referring to is an Haaretz report about a Peace Now now claim that Israel plans to build 73,300 housing units. The article states:

 

Peace Now estimates that if all of the units are built, it would mean a 100-percent increase in the total number of Israeli settlers.: 

 

However, the Peace Now report contradicts its own claim. As the article states:

According to the report, approval has already been granted for the construction of 15,000 housing units... and some 9,000 units in total have already been built.

 

Of the planned units, only about 15,000 were approved and 9,000 of those were already built, leaving about 6,000 units approved and yet to be built of the total 73,300 planned. That is about two years worth of buildng, and it would allow for an increase of about 20,000-30,000 settlers, roughly 5-7% of the current total including Jerusalem.

 

Print journalists complain that they are being unfairly neglected in favor of bloggers. They insist that commercial news outlets provide a unique service: accurate news that costs money to gather. But in fact, they are often giving the public warmed over fibs, leaving humble bloggers to point out the truth. Why pay for fabrications, when you can get the truth for free?

 

Ami Isseroff