Netanyahu makes fifth visit to West Bank settlements since January

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Ma’ale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank today, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.

This will be Netanyahu’s fifth visit to settlements in the West Bank since January, and reportedly comes amid pressure from right-wing politicians to market new settlement homes.

The mayor of Ma’ale Adumim, located in the central occupied West Bank near Jerusalem, said he hopes that Netanyahu will understand the pressure that the settlement is under due to frozen building projects.

Read:‘We’re here to stay forever’ says Netanyahu on settlements

“I want the prime minister to see how it looks and to hear what is happening in our city, particularly with the building,” said Mayor Benny Kashriel.

The paper said that Kashriel will also ask Netanyahu to support the campaign to formally annex the major settlement.

The Jerusalem Post notes that Netanyahu has “travelled to the West Bank more times this year than at any time since he took office in 2009, including during the two subsequent election periods.”

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So far in 2017, Netanyahu has visited Ariel and Betar Illit settlements, as well as delivering speeches at “two jubilee celebrations” marking 50 years since the conquest of the West Bank.