Israel moves quickly to take advantage of Trump support

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the weekly cabinet meeting at the PM’s office in Jerusalem, on December 27, 2015 Israel has moved immediately to take advantage of US President Donald Trump’s pledges of support, announcing a major settlement expansion that deeply concerns those hoping to salvage a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Since Trump’s inauguration last week, Israel has approved some 3,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank and in annexed east Jerusalem, signalling a sharp change of pace from such projects during the Barack Obama years.