Expectations that Israel’s rare approval of Palestinian construction would lead to major settlement construction appears to be true, with Israeli NGO Peace Now reporting Israel has advanced plans for over 2,300 new settlement homes in the past few days.



Israel’s Higher Planning Committee confirmed this, and it appears that the plans are at various stages, some ready to begin construction and some just advancing down the planning track.



Peace Now says that the major focus on settlement locations appears to be to preclude the Palestinians ever being able to reach a two-state solution, with the settlement construction cutting off parts of the West Bank from one another, and Israel’s vow to never evacuate another settlement making them all but permanent walls.



Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have suggested that annexations of parts of the West Bank could happen soon, though that has clearly been delayed by the second election being called this year. Either way, the far-right is dependent on the settlers’ votes and wants to keep them happy.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz