Israel to approve construction of 4,000 illegal settlements in West Bank
|AP Photo


Israel plans to expand Jewish settlements illegally built on occupied Palestinian territory, Israeli media reported Sunday.Israeli news reports said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would approve the construction of close to four thousand homes throughout the West Bank, according to Anadolu Agency.Thirty new homes will be built in Hebron, the West Bank's largest city.Netanyahu's administration did not comment on the report.Last week Netanyahu promised thousands of new homes to Jewish settlers, during a visit to the Jewish Ma'ale Adumim settlement near occupied East Jerusalem.There are over 200,000 Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem and over 400 in the West Bank. According to international law, all Jewish settlements and building activities in these areas are illegal.Since January 2017, Israel has announced plans to build over 6,000 settler homes in occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians.Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed Jerusalem in 1980 as the capital of the Jewish state, a claim without international recognition.Israel has also blockaded the Gaza Strip, where nearly two million Palestinians live.