RAMALLAH: The so-called Higher Planning Council of the Israeli army’s “Civil Administration” approved on Wednesday the construction of 576 new colonial units in the occupied West Bank and a large building in Hebron.
The council approved 456 new units in the settlement of Mitzpe Yeriho near Jericho and 120 others in Karnei Shomron settlement, as part of Israel’s ongoing plan to expand illegal settlements.
The decision also includes the construction of a 1,000-square-meter building for Shavei Hebron Yeshiva near the Beit Romano settlement in Hebron.
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the decision, describing it as a “national initiative” to consolidate Israeli control and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. This comes a day after Smotrich announced the transfer of key planning powers in Hebron from Palestinian authorities to Israeli control, further undermining the 1997 Hebron Agreement.
These measures are part of Israel’s systematic efforts to alter the legal and demographic status of the occupied West Bank and advance de facto annexation.
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