The housing ministry announced on Sunday that “tenders for 1355 residential units” had been published. They are to be built in seven existing settlements. The Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, and there are frequent conflicts between settlers and Palestinian residents.
About 2.8 million Palestinians and 475,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank. In August, the authorities had already granted approval for 2,000 residential units in settlements in the West Bank. The Department of Defense was expected to give its final approval for it this week.
Risk to the fragile government
It was the first such decision by the new government under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (Jamina party). New settlement activities could endanger the stability of the fragile government. The MP Mossi Raz from the left-liberal Meretz party criticized the decision sharply. “Jamina doesn’t give a damn about Meretz – ten degrees further to the right than the previous government,” he said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
According to the newspaper, the Israeli organization “Peace Now” spoke of “proof that this is not a government of change”. Rather, it continues the policy of a “de facto annexation” of its predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu. “The Labor Party and Meretz have to wake up and demand that this wild construction activity in the settlements stop immediately.”
