Settlements Expand as PA, Israel Talk

Israeli settlements construction has continued despite Palestinian Authority officials' engagement in talks with Israelis, the head of the Palestinian National Initiative says.

Israeli settlers have illegally annexed 130 square kilometers of land in Qaryout, a village south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Ma'an news agency reported Mustafa Barghouthi as saying on Saturday.

The Palestinian lawmaker further added that construction material has been brought in to start building some 3,000 new units throughout the settlement bloc.

According to Barghouthi, some 603 settlement units were built during Israel's 10-month partial settlement freeze, which is due to expire on September 26.'

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