What happened on Thursday?

Israel has announced plans to build up to 750 new homes in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, near Jerusalem. The move is likely to complicate its US-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians. Sunday’s announcement was made three days after a Palestinian gunman killed eight students at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. Also on Sunday, Olmert promised to fight militants in the West Bank and Gaza. Tension was on the rise after Thursday’s attack, as Israel stepped up security across the country and imposed a full closure on the West Bank and Gaza.