[ ... and as this ROOT cause of the Palestinian / Zionist conflict

continues to remain unaddressed,

so continues the Palestinian / Zionist conflict ~ ad nauseaum. ]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is moving to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank

at a time when international attention is focused elsewhere,

with President Obama gearing up for reelection

and the West targeting Iran’s nuclear program.

Last week,

the Netanyahu government took a variety of steps that,

taken together,

amount to a significant strengthening of Israel‘s hold in the West Bank,

the biblically resonant territory occupied in 1967,

which Palestinians claim as the heartland for their future state.

IN PICTURES: Unsettled: Jewish settlements in the West Bank

For Netanyahu, who heads a right-wing coalition with a strong pro-settler contingent,

it was a delicate dance of one small step back and six larger steps forward for settlements.

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