Jerusalem / PNN /

Israeli occupation authorities on Thursday night approved a plan to build 1,300 new housing units in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, south of Jerusalem.

According to Israel’s Channel 14, the new units will be built in the Russian Hill neighborhood, south of the Alon Shvut settlement. The plan also includes the construction of schools, public buildings, parks, and a large commercial area expected to serve surrounding settlements — making it the largest urban development project in the area in recent years.

Earlier in October, the Israeli Knesset approved preliminary draft laws aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, according to Channel 12.

The vote came despite attempts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay the move following international warnings and objections, yet the bill still passed its preliminary reading with majority support.

The draft law was submitted by Avi Maoz, leader of the far-right Noam party, who rejected Netanyahu’s request to postpone its introduction to the Knesset plenum.

If enacted, the law would apply full Israeli civil law to the West Bank, a move observers described as a serious escalation toward formal annexation and a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions.

The bill still requires approval in the first, second, and third readings before becoming law, amid growing Palestinian and international condemnation of Israel’s expanding settlement policies.

In July, the Knesset had already passed a non-binding declaration calling for the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, with 71 members voting in favor — a symbolic move that, while not legally binding, reflected Israel’s growing push toward annexation.