The religious-nationalist government in Israel prepared plans today, Sunday, to approve thousands of building permits in the occupied West Bank, despite U.S. pressures to halt settlement expansion, which Washington regards as an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians. The plans include the approval of 4,560 housing units in various areas of the West Bank, which are on the agenda of the Israeli Supreme Planning Council meeting next week, although only 1,332 housing units are ready for final approval, while the remaining units are still undergoing the initial approval process.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated, "We will continue to develop settlements and enhance Israeli control over the land." Shlomo Neeman, head of the Yesha Settlements Council, pointed out that "people have chosen to continue building in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, and this is how it should be."
In response to the Israeli decision today, the Palestinian Authority announced that it will boycott the scheduled meeting of the Joint Economic Committee with Israel set for tomorrow, Monday. The Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" condemned the move, stating that "these colonial and Judaizing projects will not grant legitimacy to the occupation of our land; the Palestinian people will resist them by all available means."
