Israel's Sharon May Be Increasing, Not Dismantling Settler Outposts

We've heard this for more than a year. For some reason, it's supposed to be surprising news to Washington:

In a display likely to increase U.S. displeasure with Israel, an opposition lawmaker and former general Monday showed photos of four West Bank outposts he said proves the government is deceiving Washington by expanding the enclaves instead of taking them down.

In new fighting, Israeli troops raided the West Bank city of Nablus and a Gaza refugee camp early Tuesday. Two Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed and at least four soldiers wounded in exchanges of fire, the army and medics said.

The settlement watchdog group Peace Now said it has counted 53 outposts Israel is required to dismantle under the U.S.-backed ``road map'' peace plan - or nearly twice the 28 named in a government list handed to the Americans last week.

``There is a clear-cut case of flagrant deception and a breaking of the promise to the Americans,'' legislator Ephraim Sneh from the Labor Party told reporters in displaying the ``before'' and ``after'' photos.


U.S. officials in Israel declined comment. However, they have publicly rebuked Israel in recent weeks, a sign of growing impatience with its handling of the outposts, seen as seeds of future settlements.