News Desk
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel on Sunday authorised nine more Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and announced mass construction of new homes within the established settlements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office said a planning committee would convene to approve new settlement homes in the coming days.
In a tweet, the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said 10,000 new homes would be built in the settlements.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s administration denounced Sunday’s announcement, saying it should be “condemned and rejected”.
There has been no comment from the United States yet, but ambassador Thomas Nides had previously clarified that Washington would oppose such moves.
Last month, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised the settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, calling it a hurdle toward peace.
Israel built about 140 illegal settlements since capturing Palestinian territory
Israel has built about 140 settlements housing 600,000 Jews since it captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 war.
The international community considers all settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
Palestinians view the settlements as a major obstacle to a peace deal with Israel. They seek the removal of all settlements and outposts from the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
