Group alleges West Bank construction boom

JERUSALEM, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- An activist group claims Israel has embarked on a massive building program in the West Bank that has essentially erased the so-called green line.

The Peace Now Settlement Watch Report released Tuesday said 55 percent of the more than 1,000 buildings under constriction are east of the Green Line that serves as a boundary between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

"In recent years the trend has accelerated to eliminate the Green Line through intensive construction intended to create a territorial connection between the blocks of settlements and isolated settlements in the heart of the West Bank," the organization said in a written statement.

The United States has urged Israel to restrain its settlement construction; however, Peace Now says Israeli government statistics show construction activity up nearly 2 percent compared to the first half of last year, with about 2,600 housing units included in the mix.