Jerusalem - In one of its final acts before handing over power to prime minister-elect, Mr Ehud Barak, the outgoing government of Mr Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to link the largest of all the settlements in the West Bank with Jerusalem, writes David Horovitz.
Mr Netanyahu's Defence Minister, Mr Moshe Arens, has quietly approved the expansion, by four square miles, of Ma'aleh Adumin, home to 25,000 Jewish settlers, bringing the settlement's land close to the borders of Jerusalem.
Palestinian officials yesterday termed the move "a declaration of war," and appealed to both the United States and Mr Barak to intervene.