JERUSALEM - Israeli government statistics show that construction of new homes in the Israel's West Bank settlements fell by one-third in the first half of 2009 from a year earlier.
The numbers bolster settlers' claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has partially frozen settlement construction under U.S. pressure.
The Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday that housing starts dropped 34 percent to 672 housing units compared to 1,015 for the same period in 2008.
The U.S. is pressuring Israel to halt construction entirely in the West Bank, land Palestinians claim for a future state.
Israel has refused to publicly commit to a construction freeze. But officials say the government has quietly moved to halt new housing projects while continuing construction on existing ones.
