WEST BANK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) IThe Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler units in the West Bank, an Israeli NGO reported on Monday.
Referencing the document, the Peace Now watchdog said that the construction of 974 new housing units is planned at the Efrat settlement near Jerusalem.
The project would expand the population of the Efrat settlement, located about 12km (7.5 miles) southwest of Jerusalem, by around 40 percent and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem, Peace Now said.
Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem in the 1967 war. Thus, the settlements are illegal under international law.
More than 500,000 settlers live in the occupied West Bank, which is home to about three million Palestinians who live under Israeli military rule. Major human rights groups have described the situation as apartheid.
Settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have surged since the start of the Gaza genocide on October 7, 2023, with an average of four incidents of settler violence occurring daily.
