Thank you, sir(s).

May I Have Another... ? Eh.
(Heh?)

One day after the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelming to upgrade the Palestinians' status, a senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the government would pursue "preliminary zoning and planning preparations" for a development that would separate the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem from Jerusalem -- preventing the possibility of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.

The development, in an area known as E1, would connect the large settlement town of Maale Adumim to Jerusalem. It is one of the projects that appear aimed, or at least timed, to punish the Palestinians for moving ahead with their United Nations bid. Israel also authorized the construction of 3,000 new housing units in parts of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The twin actions seemed to demonstrate that hard-liners in the government had prevailed after days of debate over how to respond to the United Nations action. The implications of such a move marked a surprising turnaround after a growing sense in recent days that Israeli leaders had acceded to pressure from Washington not to react quickly or harshly.

"This is a new act of defiance from the Israeli government," Saab Erekat, the Palestinians' chief negotiator, said in a statement. "At a moment where the Palestinian leadership is doing every single effort to save the two-state solution, the Israeli government does everything possible to destroy it."
The White House quickly condemned the move as unhelpful.

"We reiterate our longstanding opposition to settlements and East Jerusalem construction and announcements," said Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman.