Jerusalem, July 23 (IANS): Israel has advanced plans to construct 1,065 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a media report said on Thursday.
In a meeting on Wednesday, the higher planning committee of the military's Civil Administration retroactively approved 24 housing units in two buildings in the settlement of Beit El near the West Bank Palestinian city of Ramallah.
According to Xinhua, the retroactive approval was made amid heavy pressures by settler groups not to demolish the buildings, including numerous demonstrations throughout the West Bank.
Altogether, the committee retroactively legalized 228 existing housing units.
In addition, it approved plans for 541 housing units, which have already received approvals but its construction could not begin without the further approval.
Besides, the committee approved the development of infrastructure for a plan that consists of 296 housing units.