Amid a spiral of violence in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli government appears to have launched the construction of more than 5,600 homes for Jewish settlers. Although there is international criticism.
According to media reports, Israel has approved the construction of more than 5,600 apartments in settlements in the occupied West Bank. The responsible authority has approved construction plans in various settlements, Israeli media reported on Monday. The blueprints are in various stages of planning, some at the very beginning and some in the final stages. The state’s highest planning council is said to have already given final approval for 818 units.
More apartments approved than ever before
A week ago, the government decided to shorten the approval process for settlement expansion. The construction of 1,000 homes planned in the Eli settlement was announced in response to a deadly attack in the West Bank last week.
Two militant Palestinians had shot dead four Israelis at a gas station. “The Israeli government is pushing us towards the complete annexation of the West Bank at an unprecedented pace,” warned the Israeli human rights organization Peace Now in view of the development.
In the first half of the year, more than 13,000 settler apartments had already been approved – more than ever since the organization started recording in 2012. For comparison: Last year, according to the information, a good 4400 apartments were approved.
settlement policy Israel’s is highly controversial
Israel’s government is thus ignoring concerns from the United States and Western countries, which are calling for a halt to settlement construction in order to pave the way for a settlement of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Germany also sees the so-called two-state solution, which envisages a Palestinian state alongside Israel, as a solution to the conflict that has been going on for decades.
At the end of 2016, the UN Security Council called on Israel to completely stop settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. In a UN resolution, settlements were described as a violation of international law and a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 during the Six Day War. The Palestinians, on the other hand, want to establish an independent state of Palestine in the area with East Jerusalem as its capital.