The Israeli government approved plans to construct nearly six thousand new homes for settlers in the West Bank on June 26.
This decision, made against the backdrop of a growing wave of violence in the West Bank, has been condemned not only by the Palestinian side but also by the international community, including Israel's closest ally, the United States, which has threatened to halt funding to Israeli universities in the West Bank if the construction of new settlements is given the green light.
Israeli organisation Peace Now, which opposes the construction of new settlements on Palestinian territories, informs that approximately 13,000 homes are currently in various stages of construction in the West Bank since the beginning of the year. This is three times more than the total for the previous year.
"The Israeli government is pushing us at an unprecedented pace towards the complete annexation of the West Bank," the organisation stated.
Under international law, such construction on occupied territories is considered illegal, but Israel disagrees with this framing of the issue.
The new plans, including the construction of thousands of homes in the settlement of Eli province, were announced by the government just a week after several settlers were killed in an attack by Palestinian militants. In response, armed settlers ransacked and set fire to several Palestinian villages, prompting the country's military leadership and the Shin Bet security service to issue a joint statement calling for an end to such acts of retaliation.
The settlers themselves have enthusiastically embraced the government's decision on new construction.
"I thank the Israeli government for the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements. Especially in these difficult days, this is the most worthy Zionist response to all those who want to destroy us," said Shlomo Ne'eman, head of the Gush Etzion regional council.
In turn, Washington, whose relations with the new Netanyahu government have not been favourable, has openly and privately expressed its dissatisfaction with Israel's policy of expanding settlements on occupied territories. The United States has stated that it is deeply troubled by the new developments.
"Settlement expansion undermines the geographical viability of the two-state solution, increases tensions, and further erodes trust between the two sides," emphasised Matthew Miller, the official spokesperson for the US State Department.
Following the statements from the White House, concrete steps have been taken. The United States announced that it would cease subsidising scientific research conducted in Israeli universities and institutes in the West Bank, implying their disapproval of the occupation of Palestinian territories.
This decision will have the strongest impact on Ariel University, a major research centre founded in 1982 in what was then a new settlement in the West Bank.
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