The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics has let the cat out of the bag about the bluff that is Israel's construction freeze in the occupied territories, according to this report in the Jerusalem Post.

he number of housing starts in the settlements rose in the fourth quarter of 2009, precisely when the government-ordered freeze on such activity should have pushed the numbers down.

Work was begun on 593 Jewish West Bank homes from October through December, a 73.3-percent jump over the first three months of 2009, when ground was broken on 342 homes, according to numbers released this week by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The increase is even more dramatic – 84.7% – when the fourth quarter of last year is compared with the second, when work was commenced on 321 homes.

So it's all smoke and mirrors and no wonder the far-right Israeli government isn't to be trusted.