Israel has published tenders for more than 1,100 settler units across the occupiedterritories despite international calls against the expansion of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land.
A0ccording to Israel’s construction and housing ministry, of this number, 872 are to be built in Har Homa neighborhood in east al-Quds (Jerusalem) and 180 are to be built in Givat Zeev in the West Bank, AFP reported.
The ministry website also said that 69 settler units would be built in Katzrin in the occupied Golan Heights.
Activists say it is the first time the offers have been made public.
Israel’s inner cabinet decided to speed up construction of Jewish settlements in occupied territories in November last year to punish the Palestinians for winning the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, membership.
Since then, Tel Aviv has issued announcements for 2,057 new settler units in Arab east al-Quds and 1,241 in the West Bank.
Palestinians and the international community have repeatedly condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories, calling it the main obstacle to end the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinians believe the expansion of Jewish settlements makes the establishment of a future Palestinian state impossible. Palestinians consider East al-Quds as the capital of their future independent state.
Israel occupied the West Bank and East al-Quds during the Six Day War in 1967, settling nearly 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel annexed East al-Quds in 1981 and considers it as its exclusive domain, but under international law, the area is considered as an occupied territory and Israeli settlement constructions are illegal.
