Mon Feb 17 12:18:40 UTC 2025: ## Israel Announces Plans for Nearly 1,000 New Settler Homes in West Bank
**Jerusalem** – Israel has announced plans to construct nearly 1,000 new housing units in the Efrat settlement near Jerusalem, a move that has drawn immediate criticism from Palestinian groups and international observers. The Peace Now NGO, citing tender documents, reported on Sunday that the project would add 974 new homes, increasing Efrat’s population by approximately 40% and further hindering the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
Construction, according to Peace Now settlement monitoring lead Hagit Ofran, could begin within a year, pending the completion of the contracting process and permit issuance. The settlement expansion is being driven by Israeli hardliners, but is widely condemned as a major obstacle to peace. The international community, along with Palestinians, views Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as illegal under international law.
While the United States under President Trump offered unprecedented support for settlement expansion, Israel has steadily increased settlements under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Over 500,000 Israeli settlers currently reside in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and home to approximately three million Palestinians. Palestinians living under military rule, meanwhile, are administered by the Palestinian Authority.
The planned expansion comes amidst a surge in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October, with an average of four violent incidents reported daily. Human rights groups have described the situation as apartheid, a claim Israel rejects. The Israeli government views the West Bank as the historical and biblical heartland of the Jewish people and opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.
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