Bethlehem /PNN:

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Thursday that the Higher Planning Council will approve the construction of 1,973 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank during its next session.

He did not, however, specify when the council will meet, Israeli Channel 12, cited by the Anadolu news agency, reported.

The announcement came just one day after Israel approved the building of 1,300 settler homes in the Gush Etzion settlement south of occupied East Jerusalem.

Smotrich said Israeli authorities have approved nearly 30,000 new settlement units in the West Bank this year, describing it as an “unprecedented achievement” for his government.

Fatal Blow’

On August 20, the government granted final approval for the “E1” settlement plan, which includes the construction of about 3,400 housing units near the Ma’ale Adumim settlement.

The Israeli rights group Peace Now has described the E1 plan as a “fatal blow” to the two-state solution, as it would separate the northern and southern West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem.

The UN has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law, warning that they undermine prospects for a two-state solution, Anadolu reported.

ICJ Ruling

In July last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruledthat Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and should be brought to an end “as rapidly as possible.”