Israel to build 1,000 more settler homes in occupied West Bank
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Representational.
Tel Aviv: An Israeli NGO, Peace Now, informed that Benjamin Netanyahu's administration had issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank. Development of 974 new housing units is planned at the Efrat settlement near Jerusalem, Al Jazeera reported, citing Peace Now.
When Israeli hardliners are pushing for a settlement in the West Bank, and they are backed by the Israeli government, it is considered a major obstacle to peace by Palestinians and the international community that backs the Palestinian cause.
The new project is planned to expand the population of the Efrat settlement, which is 12 km southwest of Jerusalem, by 40 per cent. It is intending to block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, and the settlements are illegal under international law.
According to Israeli rights group Ir Amim, US President Donald Trump’s ascent to the President’s chair last month brought a fresh wave of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
Following Trump’s inauguration, the Israeli government intensified its campaign of Palestine displacement. Since the dawn of 2025, the Israel administration has demolished 27 structures in East Jerusalem, which included 18 residential units. The Israeli move appears to be a systematic effort to drive Palestinians out of their homeland and expand Jewish settlements.
So far, Israel has built more than 100 settlements across the occupied West Bank, and more than 5,00,000 settlers live there.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that Israel and US President Donald Trump had a “common strategy” on Gaza’s future. He made a curious statement after his meeting with top US diplomat Marco Rubio.