Israel OKs some 3,000 new settler homes, despite U.S. rebuke
Source: Associated Press
Israel OKs some 3,000 new settler homes, despite U.S. rebuke
By ILAN BEN ZION and LAURIE KELLMAN
October 27, 2021
JERUSALEM (AP) Israel approved about 3,000 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, a day after the United States issued its strongest rebuke yet of such construction. It was the biggest announcement of settlement plans during the Biden administration.
The plans were approved by a Defense Ministry committee, according to a security official who was not authorized to speak publicly and did not provide further details. The anti-settlement group Peace Now also confirmed the approvals.
The decision marked the latest boost for Israels half-century-old settlement enterprise on occupied lands the Palestinians seek for a state. Successive Israeli governments have expanded settlements, making an internationally backed two-state solution a state of Palestine arising alongside Israel increasingly impossible.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community to take a decisive stance on the Israeli decision, which he said amounted to a message of disdain for the efforts of the U.S. administration.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-middle-east-jerusalem-israel-united-states-a6d7faba3f0fb6d40695729ec398dc21