In Murders' Wake, Israel OKs New Settlements

A mere day after an Israeli family of five was massacred while they slept, the AP reports that Israel has approved the construction of hundreds of new homes in West Bank settlements. The homes will be built in a part of the West Bank that Israel expects to hold onto in any peace deal, says Benjamin Netanyahu's office, but the move nevertheless escalates tensions as such a deal looks ever more elusive. Israel blames Palestinians for the grisly murders, which have shaken a nation accustomed to violence.

"We condemn this act of accelerated settlement construction," says a senior Palestinian official. "We urge the international community to intervene and implement the two-state solution. This is the only way out of this vicious circle of violence and counter-violence." (More West Bank settlements stories.)