This is news?

With apparent alarm, Ori Lewis of Reuters reports:

The population of Jewish settlements in the West Bank could grow by 10,000 in the coming year despite a declared "freeze" on Israeli building in the occupied territory, an Israeli cabinet minister said.

Well, yes.  As the building freeze agreed by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called for the well-publicized completion of 3,000 housing units already approved and in some stage of completion, one might expect that with an average family size of 3.7 people, the Jewish population in the territories would increase by about 10,000.

We wonder why Reuters is not calling attention to (illegal) Arab building in the territories.

Then, there are those anonymous "critics" again:

Despite settler protests, some Israeli critics of Netanyahu's gesture have called the freeze a sham.

Reuters still citing the radical fringe, we see.