Israel Approves 2,000 Settler Units in the Occupied West Bank

The Israel Civil Administration approved Wednesday the construction of 2,000 Jewish settlement units for in the occupied West Bank according to Israeli NGO Peace Now.

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The settlements are the first announced since the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, declaring the occupied city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and since Israeli forces killed over 110 Palestinians protesters participating in the weeks-long Great March of Return.

According to Peace Now, 700 units got final approval, and the remainder passed the first stage of the approval process.  

Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal by international law and have been condemned as a major obstacle to peace and a future two-state solution.

Over half a million Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and are responsible for many of the violent attacks on Palestinian villagers, farmers and their crops.

Settlement construction and expansions are also viewed as the cause of force-displacement for many Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.  

Among the plans approved Wednesday, are 92 units in Kfar Adumim, a settlement close to Jerusalem and to the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar whose demolition was approved by Israel’s High Court of Justice last week.

The U.S. government issued a statement Wednesday avoiding any words of condemnation against the Israeli announcement.

“The Israeli government has made clear that going forward, its intent is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes the president’s concerns into consideration. The U.S. welcomes this,” a spokesperson for the National Security Council told The Times of Israel.

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning that Israeli settlements complicate peace efforts, his administration has not spoken against the many settlement projects announced during his presidency.

Furthermore, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has funded illegal settlements construction, is a senior advisor on the Israel and Palestine issue.