Israel plans to build 50 homes in the settlement of Elkana. The announcement came just a week after President Bush met Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and told him that settlement expansion violates the “roadmap” peace plan. But Sharon has made no secret of his strategy--to get rid of the violent and hard to defend Gaza Strip, while tightening Israel's grip on settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria. Ultimately, these settlements will be attached to Israel proper. (We’ll have an in-depth analysis of Sharon’s new map of Israel in the May edition of “israel today” magazine.)