Despite U.S. pressure to halt settlement expansion, Israel’s nationalist-religious government has presented plans to approve thousands of building permits in the occupied West Bank, a significant obstacle to peace with the Palestinians, Reuters reported.
Israel’s nationalist-religious government has put forward plans to authorize thousands of building permits in the occupied West Bank, defying U.S. calls to halt settlement expansion seen as an impediment to peace with Palestinians, Reuters said.
The proposed approval includes 4,560 housing units, with 1,332 set for final clearance, while the remaining units are still in the preliminary stage, Reuters commented.
The settlements, considered illegal by most countries, remain contentious in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians seeking an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Reuters added.
According to Reuters, Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, denounced the move and vowed resistance against Israel’s encroachment on their land.
Miroslava Salazar with Reuters
