Israel’s High Planning Committee in the Civil Administration approved plans on Thursday to promote the construction of some 4,000 new housing units in West Bank settlements.
On Wednesday, the committee approved the promotion of some 3,000 apartments. In total, 7,287 housing units were approved in two days, and 2,000 housing units are expected to be approved either on Friday or next week. In comparison, 4,427 were approved in total in 2022 and 3,645 in 2021.
The 7,287 new housing units approved are part of a plan authorized by the government Feb. 12, to advance the construction of some 10,000 new housing units in West Bank settlements and legalize nine wildcat outposts. The government’s plan was condemned across the international community, including the United States, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arabb Emirates. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting that Washington objects to any unilateral steps likely to increase regional tension.
On Monday, the UN Security Council published a presidential statement, expressing deep concerns over settlement expansion. Netanyahu said that Israel intends to follow up on the plans approved but will not legalize other wildcat outposts in the coming months.
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