Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during a Cabinet meeting Sunday a decision to make it easier to obtain permits to build inside Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
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At the same time, it was announced that the Civil Administration's Higher Planning Committee is set to meet on June 26, in order to approve 4,560 new housing units in communities throughout the region.
The Cabinet also transferred most of the authority to approve such construction to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry and thus plays an important role in overseeing civilian life in Judea and Samaria via the latter ministry's Civil Administration.
"The construction boom in Judea and Samaria and in all parts of our country continues. As we promised, today we are advancing the construction of thousands more new units in Judea and Samaria," Smotrich said Sunday. "Judea and Samaria residents cease to be second-class citizens and the natural development in settlements is reflected in construction and expansion."
The US State Department said it was "deeply troubled" by the move, and called on Israel to return to dialogue aimed at de-escalation.
"As has been longstanding policy, the United States opposes such unilateral actions that make a two-state solution more difficult to achieve and are an obstacle to peace," department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Since entering office in January, Netanyahu's Coalition has approved over 7,000 new housing units in Judea and Samaria. It also amended a law to clear the way for Israelis to return to four settlements that had previously been evacuated.
In response to the decision, the Palestinian Authority said it would boycott a meeting of the Joint Economic Committee with Israel scheduled for Monday. The Hamas terror group also condemned the move, saying it will "resist it by all means."
JNS.org contributed to this report.
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