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Tel Aviv (dpa) - More than 4,000 housing units are set for construction in the occupied West Bank after an Israeli authority approved the projects, according to an activist group on Thursday.
The Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration (HPC) approved 4,427 new units, according to Peace Now, which said the decision included retroactive approval of outposts already built and expansion of current outposts. Confirmation was not immediately available from the council.
“The approval of these construction plans in the settlements is a slap in the face, not only to the prospect of peace, but also the possibility of some future Palestinian economic development,” said Peace Now.
The West Bank is supposed to be set aside for Palestinian communities, but large parts of the territory have been encroached upon by Israeli settler groups who believe the land should belong to Israel. The expansion into West Bank territory is a routine source of tension between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, which wants the West Bank as a basis for an independent country some day. (dpa)
The Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration (HPC) approved 4,427 new units, according to Peace Now, which said the decision included retroactive approval of outposts already built and expansion of current outposts. Confirmation was not immediately available from the council.
“The approval of these construction plans in the settlements is a slap in the face, not only to the prospect of peace, but also the possibility of some future Palestinian economic development,” said Peace Now.
The West Bank is supposed to be set aside for Palestinian communities, but large parts of the territory have been encroached upon by Israeli settler groups who believe the land should belong to Israel. The expansion into West Bank territory is a routine source of tension between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, which wants the West Bank as a basis for an independent country some day. (dpa)
