MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in January, Israeli authorities approved the construction of 2,500 housing units in the occupied West Bank despite December's UN Security Council resolution calling on Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
סיכמתי עם שר הביטחון על בנייה נוספת של למעלה מ-3,000 יחידות דיור חדשות ביהודה ושומרון
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 31, 2017
"I and Defense Minister [Avigdor Lieberman] sanctioned construction of over 3,000 new housing units in Judea and Samaria," Netanyahu wrote in his Twitter account.
Over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to United Nations figures. The settlements are considered illegal by the United Nations, and West Bank territory is considered occupied territory by the International Court of Justice. The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
