Skip to main content

NGO Israel plans 1000unit expansion for West Bank settlement

· One min read

NGO: Israel plans 1,000-unit expansion for West Bank settlement​

Israel has issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli NGO has reported.

NGO: Israel plans 1,000-unit expansion for West Bank settlement

Referencing the document, the Peace Now watchdog said on Sunday that the development of 974 new housing units is planned at the Efrat settlement near Jerusalem (al-Quds).

Settlement in the West Bank is being pushed by Israeli hardliners and backed by the Israeli cabinet but is viewed as a major obstacle to peace by Palestinians and by many internationally.

The project would expand the population of the Efrat settlement, located about 12km (7.5 miles) southwest of al-Quds, by around 40 percent and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem, Peace Now said.

Hagit Ofran, who leads the group’s settlement monitoring, said construction may begin after the contracting process and issuing of permits, which could take another year at least.

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The settlements are illegal under international law.

source: tehrantimes.com