Israel to build new settlement units in East Jerusalem

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel on Sunday issued a tender for the construction of 1,257 settlement homes in the occupied East Jerusalem, according to local media.

The Walla news website said the new settlement units will be constructed in the Givat HaMatos settlement in East Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war.

In 2014, Israel froze a decision to build 2,600 housing units in the same settlement due to international pressure.

There was no comment from Palestinian authorities on the Israeli construction plan.

On Thursday, the Israeli authorities approved the construction of 108 housing units in the Ramat Shlomo settlement in East Jerusalem.

According to Haaretz newspaper, the Israeli government plans to approve thousands of settlement units in East Jerusalem as a pre-empt step before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris stated in their electoral campaign that they would abide by the two-state solution to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a solution that contradicts with the Israeli settlement activity and Israeli plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is regarded as an "occupied territory" under international law, thus making all Jewish settlements there illegal.

*Ahmed Asmar in Ankara contributed to this report