JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel's cabinet has approved the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israeli media reported Thursday.
Ministers voted on the plan two weeks ago, but the decision was kept under wraps to avoid potential U.S. pressure to halt it amid the joint U.S.-Israeli military fighting against Iran, the Israeli i24News reported.
A map published by the channel showed the planned settlements around the Palestinian city of Jenin, south of Nablus, in the area between Bethlehem and Hebron, and in additional locations where there has so far been no Israeli presence. The plans include entirely new settlements as well as existing outposts that were established without Israeli permits and are set to be retroactively legalized.
The decision also includes a clause concerning the construction of energy and water infrastructure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The anti-settlement Peace Now group said the 34 newly approved settlements bring the total number authorized by Netanyahu's current government to 102, including 68 approved since the formation of this government. The government includes far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
"The establishment of settlements harms security, places an abnormal burden on the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), and undermines the possibility of resolving the conflict and achieving any future security and peace," the group said in a statement.
Following the Israeli decision, the Palestinian Presidency condemned the move on Thursday, considering it a "dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation" of international law and UN resolutions.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. The settlements it has built there, and its military occupation, are considered illegal under international law.
Palestinian officials have repeatedly warned that measures expanding settlements and extending Israeli civilian authority in the West Bank undermine prospects for a future Palestinian state. ■
