The construction of more than 1,300 new homes in Judea and Samaria was approved on Wednesday by the Israeli authorities.
The move comes in the wake of the government's decision to adopt the Trump administration's peace plan, which grants Israel the right to continue building in certain areas and even extend its sovereignty, although the latter move has been put on hold in order to advance the recent peace agreements with the UAE and Bahrain.
The decision to green light the new homes drew an angry response from Palestinians.
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"We urge the international community to intervene immediately to stop this settlement madness, which destroys any chance for a genuine peace process," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel's West Bank Civil Administration planning committee gave final approval for building 1,313 housing units in several settlements, it said in a statement. Plans for another 853 units were advanced but have not yet been given final approval.
A statement from Beit El settlement said 350 new housing units would be built there. It hailed the committee's decision as "a tremendous achievement for Beit El".
The head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council Shlomo Ne'eman praised the decision to approve the homes, saying, "The mission of developing the communities in Judea and Samaria continues to be one of the key issues for the State of Israel and the entire nation in this era, and we are grateful for the right to be at the forefront here in Gush Etzion."
He continued: "Sometimes we take our Prime Minister to task, which we feel is justified, as a result of our disappointment in postponing the application of sovereignty over our country. But now something tangible is happening – we are building and developing our communities, and of course, the highlight of today is the full registration of the young community of Pnei Kedem, 20 years since it was established. Sovereignty isn't just about legal documents as important as they may be. Sovereignty is about more and more Jews who establish their homes in the land of their ancestors for now and forever. And for that, a big thank you and congratulations are due to Prime Minister Netanyahu, who despite being busy with his intense involvement in current issues, is also advancing strategic plans to strengthen our hold on Judea and Samaria."
The Civil Administration is expected to approve the construction of additional housing units on Thursday.
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