Israel to build 2,500 new settlement units in West Bank

Israel’s defense ministry has approved building 2,500 more settlement units in the West Bank, to allegedly meet the housing needs of Israeli people. It is the second announcement of new construction in the occupied Palestinian territory since US President Donald Trump took office.

A statement from the ministry said the plans, authorized by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, were intended to fulfill a demand for new housing “to maintain regular daily life”. Most of the new construction will take place in existing settlement blocs.

The statement said 100 of the homes would be built in Beit El, a settlement that according to Israeli media has received funding from the family of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

It was not immediately clear whether it was the first time the new construction had been announced. There are several stages involved in the process of approving and building new settlement homes.