Israeli PM approves 800 new settlement units in W. Bank

By AbdelRaouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday approved the construction of 800 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.

“We are happy to announce today that 800 new apartments have been built in Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu tweeted, using the Jewish words for the West Bank. “We are here to stay [that] we continue to build the Land of Israel.”

According to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, the new units will be built in Israeli settlements in the northern West Bank.

Monday’s decision came a few days before the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden.

Notably, US President Donald Trump has supported the Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, while Biden has voiced opposition to the activity during his electoral campaign.

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

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara