Key points
- Over 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank
- 100 illegal Israeli settlements across West Bank
- Israel refuses to fully withdraw from Lebanon
ISLAMABAD: Israel has issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank.
According to a watchdog opposed to Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory, the 974 new settler housing units would allow the population of the Efrat settlement to expand by 40 per cent and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
Peace Now leader Hagit Ofran to the AP that construction can begin after the contracting process and issuing of permits, which could take another year at least.
The Israeli government has not issued any statement on the matter as of now.
The occupation
Israel has built well over 100 settlements across the West Bank, ranging from hilltop outposts to fully developed suburban communities, according to AP.
Over 500,000 settlers live in the West Bank, home to about 3 million Palestinians.
The settlers have Israeli citizenship. Palestinians live under military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centres.
Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want them for their future state and view the settlements as a major obstacle to peace, a position with wide international support.
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Trump lent unprecedented support to the settlements during his previous term.
Israel also steadily expanded settlements during Democratic administrations, which were more critical but rarely took any action to curb them.
“Violation of ceasefire”
Israel’s military says its forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday’s deadline for their withdrawal under a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group, as Lebanon’s government expressed frustration over another delay.
A separate ceasefire in Gaza was also in doubt as the region marked 500 days of Israel’s war with Hamas, while Israel and the United States send conflicting signals over whether they want the truce to continue. Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start.
