Israel to build 2,300 illegal houses in West Bank

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout, Ali Semerci

ANKARA (AA) - Tel Aviv advanced plans to construct 2,300 illegal houses in the West Bank, an Israeli nongovernmental organization announced Tuesday.

A statement by Peace Now said an Israeli planning committee affiliated with the defense ministry approved these plans.

It added that such plans come as part of the Israeli government policy that seeks partial or full annexation of the West Bank and axing the peace process based on two-states.

The Israeli government under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently stepped up efforts to build more illegal statements in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, especially since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office in 2017.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B and C.

Israel prevents Palestinians from conducting construction projects in parts of the West Bank designated as Area C under the agreement which falls under administrative and security control of Israel.

Area C is currently home to 300,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom are Bedouins and herding communities who predominantly live in tents, caravans and caves.

International law views the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity there as illegal.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas