Israel announces plans for 2,500 new settlement homes

A statement from the Israeli Defence Ministry said the plans, authorised by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Lieberman, mostly involve new construction in existing settlement blocs.

A Palestinian man rides a donkey near the Israeli settlement of Maale Edumim, in the occupied West Bank, December 28, 2016.
TRT World and Agencies

A Palestinian man rides a donkey near the Israeli settlement of Maale Edumim, in the occupied West Bank, December 28, 2016.

Israel's Defence Ministry announced plans on Tuesday to build 2,500 more settlement homes in the West Bank, the second announcement of new construction in the occupied territory since President Donald Trump took office in the US.

The statement said 100 of the new homes would be built in Beit El, a settlement which, according to Israeli media has received funding from the family of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The Defence Ministry said the plans, authorised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, were intended to fulfil a demand for new housing "to maintain regular daily life."

Most of the new construction will take place in existing settlement blocs.

It was not immediately clear whether it was the first time that the new construction had been announced. There are several stages involved in the process of approving and building new settlement homes.

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