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May 20, 2011

Israel Authorizes 1,500 New Settler Homes 
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As Obama delivered a major address on the Middle East Thursday, the
Israeli government also unveiled a plan to build more than 1,500 new
homes on two settlements around East Jerusalem. Israeli lawmaker, Arieh
Eldad, said he hopes the settlements send a message to the White House.

Arieh Eldad: "I hope that the message that goes through the approval of
1,500 units of building in Jerusalem sends a clear message to the
American administration. I hope that the new building of new settlements
next week will send a similar message."

In his address, President Obama also unveiled new billion dollar
economic aid packages for Egypt and Tunisia and called on Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad to lead a democratic transition or step down.



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