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‘Israel has approved an additional 560 housing units to be constructed as part of its illegal settlement-building initiative in occupied East Jerusalem. The announcement comes 48 hours after Donald Trump took office as the 45th US president.
Israel Radio talked to the Chairman of Jerusalem city hall’s Planning and Building committee, Meir Turgeman, who said the permits had been in the works, but delayed until Barack Obama was out of office.
“I was told to wait until Trump takes office because he has no problem with building in Jerusalem,” Turgeman told Israel Radio, adding that there were hundreds more units awaiting approval.
Nabil Abu Rdainah, spokesman Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters: “We strongly condemn the Israeli decision to approve the construction.”’

Trump’s UN pick Nikki Haley ‘I will always support Israel’ and latest to contradict Trump on Russia

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‘South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, nominated to be the new US ambassador to the UN, told the Senate she would “always stand by Israel” and took a hard line on Russia, clashing with positions taken by President-elect Donald Trump.
Haley’s opening remarks at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee revolved around the recently adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2334 condemning Israeli settlements, which she blamed on the Obama administration’s decision to forego the US veto.
“I will never abstain when the United Nations takes any action that comes in direct conflict with the interests and values of the United States,” Haley told the lawmakers.’