The government of Israel has advanced plans for more than 3,100 new homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
On Sunday the Ministry of Construction and Housing in right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government announced that tenders had been published for 1,355 homes in the occupied West Bank.
Israel moved forward on Wednesday with plans to build some 3,000 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. A planning committee gave its final approval for 1,800 housing units and preliminary approval for more than 1,300 others.
Next week, the Israeli planning committee is scheduled to discuss plans for 1,300 new homes in Palestinian villages in the 60% of the West Bank, classified as “Area C” under the Oslo Accords, according to the report.
Palestine: Abbas Restates Commitment to Just and Comprehensive Peace
Currently, most of the West Bank is administered by Israel, though 42% of it is under varying degrees of autonomous rule by the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority.
Israel seized both areas during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and later annexed East Jerusalem while keeping the bulk of the West Bank and Gaza under occupation. Israel also drew international criticism by erecting more than 180 Jewish settlements in the areas.
Meanwhile, 2,155,743 Arabs live in the West Bank and over 600,000 Jews live in settlements built since Israel’s occupation citing biblical, historical and political ties to the area, which are considered illegal under international law, on land Palestinians claim as part of their future state.
