Israel Approves Thousands of Building Permits in West Bank

Israel’s religiously nationalist government approved on Monday the construction of about 5,700 additional housing units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, despite pressure from the United States to stop the settlement expansion that Washington sees. as an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. Plans for the construction of housing units in various areas of the West Bank have been approved by Israel’s Supreme Planning Council. Final approvals were granted for 818 units, while the rest were in other stages of approval. The leadership of the Jewish settlers praised the decision. “I thank the Israeli government for the continued development of Israeli settlements,” said Gush Etzion West Bank Regional Council Chief and Yesha Council Chairman Shlomo Ne’man. “Especially in these difficult days, this is the most appropriate Zionist response to all those who seek to destroy us.” Conflict Most countries consider illegal settlements built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war in the Middle East. Their presence is one of the fundamental issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israeli settlers cite Jewish historical connections to the land. US-mediated peace talks have been on hold since 2014. Since taking office in January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has approved the promotion of more than 7,000 new housing units, most of them located in the West Bank. . “The Israeli government is pushing us at an unprecedented pace towards full annexation of the West Bank,” settlement watchdog Peace Now said in a statement. *Reproduction of this content is prohibited

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