JERUSALEM: Israel said on Thursday it will give final approval to the construction of 2,500 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the first tranche of settlements since the controversial US embassy move to Jerusalem.

The announcement was slammed by the Palestinians, as prospects of a peace accord between the sides appeared as distant as ever.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his intention to request final approval from a planning committee for the building of 2,500 new homes in 30 West Bank settlements.

“The 2,500 new units we’ll approve in the planning committee next week are for immediate construction in 2018,” Lieberman said in a statement, adding he would also seek the committee’s approval for a further 1,400 settlement units for later construction.

Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said Washington was complicit in the latest move. “The continuation of the settlement policy, statements by American officials supporting settlements and incitement by Israeli ministers have ended the two-state solution and ended the American role in the region,” he said in a statement published by official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The 2,500 units include 400 homes in Ariel, 460 in Maale Adumim, 330 in the Etzion bloc, and a retirement home in Elkana, according to Lieberman.

Israel’s West Bank planning committee was set to convene on Wednesday next week to discuss the request, though this was not officially confirmed.

“We’re continuing the development momentum of the Judaea and Samaria settlements and are approving thousands of new units,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on his Twitter account, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

“We will soon approve more units.” Israel’s West Bank settlements are considered illegal under international law and are bitterly opposed by Palestinians.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2018