While also calling for the construction of over 2,000 new Jewish-only homes on occupied Palestinian land, Israel’s prime minister recently denied that tensions between Israel and Palestine are mounting as a result of the growth of illegal settlements.
Israel approved about 2,200 new homes in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank at an Oct. 21 planning meeting, according to documents first obtained by Haaretz, with a goal of completing construction by 2030. The meeting occurred during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent trip to Washington, where he met with President Barack Obama, and International Business Times noted: “Commentators have highlighted the Israeli government made a similar move in 2010 when it announced the construction of 1,600 new settlement units just as US Vice President Joe Biden was arriving in Jerusalem.”
The approval also comes as Israel renews its controversial practice of demolishing Palestinian homes. The practice, like the settlements themselves, are widely condemned by governments and human rights organizations as a form of illegal collective punishment against an oppressed population.
