Israel’s Civil Administration’s higher planning committee is expected to advance plans next week for some 2000 new housing units in West Bank settlements the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported.
The paper quoted an unidentified Israeli official as saying that the Israeli ministerial cabinet was informed of the delay in the higher planning committee’s meeting two weeks ago at request of the U.S. administration to ensure it didn’t sabotage the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
The official said the U.S. administration has asked Israel to delay the settlement planning committee’s meeting until after the meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
The committee will meet the following week before the seven-day Sukkot holiday he explained.
Earlier on Sunday the PLO Executive Committee asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to start investigating Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
