Israel Set to Advance 4,000 Settlement, US Says damages Two State Solution Prospect

Israel is set to advance plans for nearly 4,000 housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, despite firm American opposition to settlement construction.

The Defense Ministry said 2,536 units are slated to be green-lit through the final planning stage by the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Subcommittee at the Thursday meeting, while another 1,452 will advance through an earlier stage in the permitting process known as deposit.

The expected approvals will come just over a month before a planned visit to Israel by US President Joe Biden.

Washington has repeatedly said Israeli settlements threaten a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When Israel advanced some 3,000 settlement homes last October, the State Department called it “completely inconsistent with efforts to lower tensions and restore calm.” Several weeks later, Israel retreated from plans for a massive construction project near Atarot in East Jerusalem following US pressure.

Over the past several years, Israel has approved new batches of settlements on a quarterly basis, though gaps between meetings of the Higher Planning Subcommittee have sometimes extended longer during sensitive diplomatic periods. The committee operates under the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, which administers West Bank construction in areas under full Israeli civilian control.

Over six months have passed since the last meeting, but pressure had been growing in recent weeks on Prime Minister Naftali Bennett from within his own party to push ahead new housing construction beyond the Green Line.

Meanwhile, The Biden administration on Friday blasted Israeli plans to advance nearly 4,000 settlement homes in the West Bank, saying the measure “deeply damages the prospects for a two-state solution.”

“The Biden Administration has been clear on this from the outset. We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements which exacerbates tensions and undermines trust between the parties,” said State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter during a phone briefing with reporters. “Israel’s program of expanding settlements deeply damages the prospects for a two-state solution.”