Israel advances plans for 800 new settlement homes in West Bank
The news comes ahead of Israel's March 23 election as well as the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.
The Israeli government advanced on Monday construction of new settlements in the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the green light to the building plans for 800 new homes, Reuters reported. The settlements are located throughout the West Bank, including in Itamar near Nablus and Beit El north of Jerusalem. Netanyahu said the settlements would receive final approval from the Defense Ministry next week, according to The Times of Israel.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers live throughout the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority and much of the international community regard the settlements as illegal. Israel disputes this, however, and the United States also no longer considers the settlements illegal.
The news comes at an important time in both Israeli and American politics. Advancing the construction could help Netanyahu shore up support among Jewish nationalist voters ahead of Israel’s March 23 election.
