Israel to Build Thousands New Settlement Homes, US Silent
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Israel announced the construction of 3,000 settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the fourth such announcement in the less than two weeks since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.
"Avigdor Lieberman and Binyamin Netanyahu have decided to authorize the construction of 3,000 new housing units in Judea-Samaria," the Israeli regime’s defense ministry said in a statement, using a term Israel uses for the West Bank, a Palestinian territory it has occupied since 1967.
Since the 20 January, inauguration of Trump, Israel has approved the construction of 566 housing units in three settlement areas of east al-Quds (East Jerusalem) and announced the building of 2,502 more in the occupied West Bank.
On Thursday last week, Israeli officials gave final approval for 153 settler homes in east al-Quds.
Trump has pledged strong support for Israel, and Netanyahu's cabinet has moved quickly to take advantage, the New Arab reported.
"We are building and we will continue building," Netanyahu said last week, referring to settlement approvals.
The regime’s prime minister has said he sees the Trump presidency as offering "significant opportunities".
The announcements have deeply concerned those seeking to salvage a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, with much of the international community seeing them as a major obstacle to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.
In a telling break with the Obama administration, Trump's White House has not condemned Israel's settlement expansion.
