On Wednesday, the Supreme Planning and Construction Committee in Israel approved the construction of 3,500 new settlement units, according to a Sky News Arabia correspondent.
Most of the new units will be built in the Maale Adumim settlement between Jerusalem and Jericho, and the rest will be in nearby settlements in the same area or near Bethlehem.
The approval comes after the shooting attack at Al-Zaeem checkpoint near the settlement last month.
Following the attack, extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the minister responsible for civil administration, demanded that the operation be responded to by approving thousands of settlement units.
A few days ago, Israel declared areas near the Maale Adumim settlement “state land,” in preparation for construction on them.
Construction in the Maale Adumim settlement usually attracts widespread international criticism, since the settlement extends from Jerusalem eastward towards the Dead Sea. Through the expansion of this settlement, Israel seeks to divide the West Bank into two northern and southern parts, in an attempt to divide the West Bank and make the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state impossible.
Israel’s announcement of its intention to approve these settlement units sparked angry reactions in the United States, the European Union, and the Arab countries.
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