The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has approved the construction of 1950 new settler homes in the occupied Palestinian territories an anti-settlement watchdog group said on Monday.
Peace Now said that nearly 800 housing units received the final approvals needed for construction to begin while initial approvals were given for an additional 1150 homes.
The green light was given on Sunday and Monday the watchdog group said adding that 89 percent of the new homes will be built in “settlements that Israel may have to evacuate under a future peace agreement with the Palestinians”.
According to Peace Now settlement building has vastly increased under premier Benjamin Netanyahu and his ally US president Donald Trump.
Netanyahu has been fighting for his political survival after being charged with corruption and after failing to form a new coalition government following April and September elections.
Netanyahu who was indicted in November on charges of bribery fraud and breach of trust is now facing a third general election in March.
Peace Now said that despite lacking a clear mandate Netanyahu’s caretaker government continues as usual the massive promotion of harmful and unnecessary construction in occupied territory and in places that Israel will have to evacuate.
“Netanyahu continues to sabotage the prospects of peace dragging Israel into an anti-democratic one-state reality resembling apartheid” the human rights group added.
Israeli settlements are deemed illegal under international law and widely seen as the main obstacle to peace.
Some 600000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem among around 2.9 million Palestinians.
Late last year the Trump administration said it would no longer consider Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal.
The move which was hailed by Netanyahu angered the Palestinians and the international community.
The European Union United Nations and others have stressed however that they continue to consider the settlements illegal.
