22 January 2016, 04:25 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the construction plans were adopted last week and include settlements in Ariel and Hebron areas.
The construction of 153 units denotes an end to an informal construction freeze, which lasted 18 months, and that had been imposed over fears that the United States might not approve it, according to the newspaper.
Earlier in November, 2015 US State Secretary John Kerry criticized the Israeli policy of building homes on disputed land and called on Israelis and Palestinians to make peace.
The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War between Israelis and Palestinians. The United Nations estimates that some 500,000 Jewish settlers live illegally in the West Bank, including in West Jerusalem.
