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Israel approves first West Bank settlement construction since normalization deals

Israel’s West Bank Civil Administration gave its final approval for more than 1,300 housing units in the West Bank and more are expected to follow.
A picture taken on October 14, 2020, shows new buildings in the Israeli settlement of Efrat south of the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

For the first time since inking normalization deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain last month, Israel has announced plans to build new settlement units in the West Bank. 

Israel’s West Bank Civil Administration, which approves settlement planning and construction, issued its final approval for 1,313 new housing units and advanced plans for an additional 853 on Wednesday. The body’s planning committee is expected to approve roughly 2,000 more units when it reconvenes on Thursday.

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