The anti-settlement organization 'Peace Now' revealed that the Israeli regime had already put forward new plans on 19 February to construct 694 units in Leshem, 290 units in Bet El and 31 units in the Almog settlement, meaning that the construction is only awaiting War Minister Moshe Ya'alon's approval, the Middle East Monitor reported on Friday.
The committee of Israel’s war ministry published plans to construct an additional 839 housing units in Ariel, 350 units in Shvut Rachel and 65 units in the Shavei Shomron settlements, asking for public comments before further discussion in the committee.
Israel's Channel 7 television, which is owned by Israeli settlers, confirmed that the Israeli Civil Administration had already approved constructing 1015 new housing units in the settlements of Leshem, Bet El and Almog, but that the construction is still awaiting final approval by Ya'alon.
The Civil Administration is an Israeli military unit acting as a government body in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Palestinians consider the illegal settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds to be an obstacle to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which resumed in July under US auspices with the aim of reaching a final agreement within nine months.
The previous round of talks ended in October 2010 due to Israel's continued settlement activities on Palestinian lands.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
Israel, however, defies the international demand to stop the illegal construction of new settlements in West Bank and East al-Quds.
NTJ/SHI