Israel approves hundreds of new settlement homes in occupied West Bank
18 Jan, 2021 12:00 AM
3 minutes to read
The Separation Wall in the occupied West Bank. Photo / 123RF
AP
By: Josef Federman
Israeli authorities on Sunday (Monday NZT) advanced plans to build nearly 800 homes in West Bank settlements, in a last-minute surge of approvals before the friendly Trump Administration leaves office later this week.
COGAT, the Israeli defence body that authorises settlement construction, confirmed the approvals, which drew swift condemnations from the Palestinians. The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be illegal under international law.
The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now said that over 90 per cent of the homes lay deep inside the West Bank, which the Palestinians seek as the heartland of a future independent state, and more than 200 homes were in unauthorised outposts the Government had decided to legalise.