Israel plans for nearly 1,000 more settler homes in West Bank - watchdog

Israel issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank, an anti-settlement watchdog said.

Hagit Ofran, who leads the Peace Now settlement monitoring, said construction can begin after the contracting process and issuing of permits, which could take another year at least.

Israel occupied the West Bank, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state and view the settlements as a major obstacle to peace, a position with wide international support.

President Donald Trump lent unprecedented support to the settlements during his previous term. Israel has also steadily expanded settlements during Democratic administrations, which were more critical but rarely took any action to curb them.

Israel has built well over 100 settlements across the occupied West Bank, ranging from hilltop outposts to fully-developed communities that resemble small towns and suburbs, with apartment blocks, malls and parks.

Over 500,000 settlers live in the West Bank, which is home to some 3 million Palestinians. The settlers have Israeli citizenship, while Palestinians live under Israel's occupation with the Palestinian Authority administering population centers.

Peace Now, which favors a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of pressing ahead with settlement construction while dozens of hostages captured in Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack languish in captivity.

“While the people of Israel (set) their sights on the release of the hostages and an end to the war, the Netanyahu government is operating ‘on steroids’ to establish facts on the ground that will destroy the chance for peace and compromise,” it said in a statement.