Israel has
greenlighted plans for over 8,000 new homes in the West Bank, with
over a third for “immediate” construction, the defense minister
revealed on Sunday, making it the largest expansion of Jewish
settlements in the area in 25 years.
According to
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, 3,651 settlements were
approved last week, Haaretz reports. The minister noted that “What
we’ve approved on June 6 and 7 is the maximum that can be
approved.”
Plans for
8,345 new housing units have been approved by the Israeli authorities
so far this year, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency writes, citing
Liebermann. Out of these, 3,066 have been given final approval and
will soon be built.
The
construction of settlements in the region is considered illegal under
international law. The international community has long voiced
concerns over the controversial constructions while condemning the
deteriorating security situation between Israelis and Palestinians.
The
government of Israel stopped building official settlements in 1992,
according to Israeli monitoring group Peace Now. That, however, did
not stop the construction of unauthorized settlements in the West
Bank.
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