Israel presented a plan to approve permits for thousands of buildings in the occupied West Bank of Jerusalem.
A plan to approve 4,560 housing units in various areas of the West Bank is on the agenda of Israel’s Supreme Planning Council next week.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smutrich said out of a total of 4,560 housing units, 1,332 have received final approval while the rest are in the preliminary approval stage.
“We will continue the process to develop settlements and strengthen Israeli occupation of the area,” he said. The finance minister said that he also holds the defense portfolio, which gives him an important role in the administration of the West Bank.
It should be noted that most countries consider illegal settlements built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Their presence is one of the main issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. US-brokered peace talks have been frozen since 2014.
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