The government on Wednesday announced that it was advancing plans to build over 1,000 new homes across Judea and Samaria, pressing ahead with construction as the Trump administration prepares to unveil a long-awaited peace plan.
The Civil Administration, the defense body that oversees civilian affairs in the area, said its planning committee has approved the construction of some 400 homes in Adam, northeast of Jerusalem, and 436 housing units in the communities comprising the Samaria Regional Council. The rest will be built in various settlements across Judea and Samaria.
Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group, criticized the move, saying most of the units were in isolated communities that would likely have to be removed as part of any future Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Some 600,000 Israelis live in Judea and Samaria, areas that the Palestinians want for a future state.
The majority of the international community sees settlement construction as illegal, claiming it is an impediment to the peace process. Israel says the fate of the settlements must be resolved in peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has broken with his predecessors and has refrained from condemning settlement construction, though he has urged Israel to show restraint.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement that the administration was "firmly committed to pursuing comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The president has made his position on the settlements clear, and we encourage all parties to continue to work towards peace."
There was no immediate Palestinian reaction to the latest settlement announcement.
Also on Wednesday, the government deferred the regulation of two illegal outposts, one in Gush Etzion and the other in the Adumim area, near the illegal Bedouin settlement of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem.
Heads of the Settlement Movement criticized the government for failing retroactively legalizing the two settlement, and also slammed the government for dragging its feet with respect to issuing building permits in Judea and Samaria.
Heads of the Knesset's Land of Israel Lobby MKs Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) and Yoav Kisch (Likud) issued a statement saying, "The government has already decided to regulate new settlement ventures and now it must act vigorously to implement this decision and actively promote this issue – not the other way around."
Samaria Council head Yossi Dagan expressed disappointment with the number of homes approved for construction, saying, "While we're happy about every other home in Samaria, the truth is that a few hundred housing units are not enough for an area that constitutes 12% of Israel, and where the demand for homes is in the thousands every year.
"We expect the government to stop worrying about what the international community might say and promote the development of this beautiful region in the heart of Israel, whose strategic and historical importance is clear to everyone," he said.
The Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, issued a statement saying it was "greatly disappointed" with the "scant number" of homes approved for construction.
"This is the smallest number of housing units approved over the past year and a half. Previous committees have approved between 2,000 and 3,000 [new homes], which was in itself a small number compared to the building permits issued for tens of thousands of homes nationwide," the council's statement said.
