President Obama met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week in hopes to reconstruct peace between the two war-torn groups. Last weekend, Obama announced that he would meet with Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, separately before the U.N. general assembly this week. The U.S. hopes that the separate meetings will be successful and both parties will work together to fix some of the conflicts preventing amicability. Obama also hopes to resolve the recent settlement additions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem that has angered the Palestinian government. The controversy has derailed peace talks at this time.

As Netanyahu’s first government-approved construction project, more than 450 new houses will be built in the West Bank. The project is considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes the claim.

According to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, the homes will be built in six settlements including Har Gilo, Modiin Illit, and Ariel.

Construction of settlements in the West Bank began in 1967, shortly after the Six-Day War. Some 280,000 Israelis already live in the 121 recognized homes in the West Bank.

In some cases, Palestinians who inhabit territory for settlement constructions are forced to evict their homes.

“I find it very upsetting,” said sophomore Layth Awartani. “It’s inhumane and unjust for someone to be told they have x amount of days to leave or they will be forced out by army officials.”

The Obama administration has disapproved of the settlement and called on Israel to freeze construction plans.

The U.S. hopes that if the settlement is put on hold, it may be a stepping-stone for Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel.

Netanyahu has offered a temporary freeze on construction for several months in the West Bank, but not in East Jerusalem or areas where houses have already been approved.

An outraged Abbas refuses to meet with Netanyahu until the freeze is permanent. “I’m not a big supporter of Abbas,” said Awartani, “but I do agree that in order for things to cool down there needs to be a halt on the progression of Israeli people in the remaining 22 percent of Palestinian land.”

“Given the choice between making peace or making settlements, [Israel] has chosen to make settlements,” Saeb Erekat, senior Palestinian negotiator said to the BBC this month.

Last week, an attempt to set up at tripartite conference including Obama, Netanyahu, and Abbas, failed to come to full fruition. U.S. Envoy George Mitchell met with both leaders at separate occasions and tried to persuade them to meet with Obama at the U.N. General Assembly.

Netanyahu had shown interest in a tripartite conference. Before traveling to Cairo to meet Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Netanyahu said to the BBC: “I hope we will be able to narrow the gaps and perhaps bridge them so we can get peacemaking moving.” Abbas’s reception to the meeting was lukewarm. He told journalists this month that a settlement was a roadblock on the path to peace.

“This is nothing new,” said sophomore Tali Raphael, treasurer of Hillel, the Jewish-student organization on campus. “There were the proliferation of settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza disengagement in 2005. They’re unfortunately continuing trends. ”

Sophomore Sarah Skoke, Hillel president, said she had similar ideologies to those of Raphael and would continue supporting peace in the area.

“Some Israelis have Zionist fervor, “said Raphael. “They believe from Jordan to the Mediterranean should be Israeli land. But there are a lot of Israelis who want peace and understanding.