Israel Approves 799 Housing Units in West Bank

Less than two weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called off planning for 24,000 housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Civil Administration has approved the construction of 799 units in the West Bank.

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Some of the dwellings will be at the Nofei Prat outpost at the settlement of Kfar Adumim. Construction is set to begin once the plan is officially published and the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council issues permits.

The 799 units include 30 in the settlement of Shiloh north of Jerusalem. Some of these units have already been built. Three buildings that have not yet been put up require the Defense Ministry’s approval.

In the settlement of Givat Ze’ev just north of Jerusalem, 409 new units have been approved.

Givat Sal’it, an outpost established more than a decade ago, has now been approved; 94 housing units and a commercial center will be built. The frefab homes there will be removed.

Twelve homes built by Amana, the settlement arm of the Gush Emunim movement, have been approved in the settlement of Nokdim. Two of the homes have access roads that pass through privately owned Palestinian land.

The Civil Administration is trying to solve the problem of the access roads. If no solution is found, only 10 of the homes will be approved. The Civil Administration, however, has no intention of demolishing the other two homes.