Palestinians pitch tents in key West Bank area

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian activists have erected tents at a disputed site between Jerusalem and the West Bank where Israel said it would build Jewish houses.

The activists said in a statement Friday they wanted to build a village in the area known as E-1 in order to “establish facts on the ground.”

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said they had been served documents saying they were trespassing but it wasn’t immediately clear what action, if any, would be taken.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would build homes in E-1, situated on a key route linking Palestinian areas of Jerusalem to the West Bank, after the U.N. endorsed a de facto Palestinian state.

Actual construction on the project is years away but Israel’s decision was fiercely criticized by its closest allies.