Israel puts off approval of additional new settlement units

Israeli authorities have postponed a meeting due to be held today to approve the construction of more than 3,000 new settlement units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israel Hayom reported.

According to the news site, the Israeli Planning, Organisation, and Construction Council postponed its meeting following US pressure on the Israeli government related to the settlement expansion project.

Yesterday the Biden administration sent a written protest to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett over the decision to authorise the construction of 3,000 new settlement units in the West Bank settlements.

READ: Germany slams Israeli settlement expansion

According to Walla!, the letter followed a statement by the US State Department that expressed “deep concern” over the decision, adding that plans to approve currently unrecognised outposts are “unacceptable”.

According to the Israeli news site, after the occupation state approved 1,300 settlement units last week, the US Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, Michael Ratney, phoned Bennett’s diplomatic adviser Shimrit Meir to say the administration views Israel’s advancement of new settlement units severely.