Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman was expected on Tuesday to present the Judea and Samaria Zoning and Planning Committee with plans for the construction of thousands of new homes in the area.
Lieberman is promoting the immediate construction of 1,285 new homes and is pushing for the planning of an additional 2,500 housing units in 20 Judea and Samaria communities.
The plan calls for 433 homes to be built in the central city of Ariel; 100 in the Gush Etzion communities of Beitar Illit, Emanuel and Oranit; 53 in the Gush Etzion town of Efrat; 22 in the Jerusalem suburb of Maaleh Adumim, and 32 in the Jewish community in Hebron.
"We pledged to promote construction in Judea and Samaria and we are keeping our word," Lieberman said in a statement issued Monday.
In accordance with an agreement reached between Israel and the United States on settlement construction, new housing project will be approved in four lots.
The development of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria is one of the thorniest issues hindering efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, frozen since 2014.
Most countries consider Israeli construction in the area as illegal. The Palestinians argue that the Israeli construction denies them a viable contiguous state.
Israel disputes that assertion, saying the future of the settlement enterprise should be determined as part of the peace talks with the Palestinians.
Asked about the construction plans, a U.S. State Department official said there had been no change in policy on settlements and the Israeli government had made it clear that "its intent is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes the president's concerns into consideration."
"The United States welcomes this. As the president has said repeatedly, the administration is firmly committed to pursuing a comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians," the official said.
