Israel Built Over 12,000 Settlement Units In 2020: PLO

West Bank is occupied territory under international law, thus making all Jewish settlements there illegal.

By Lubaba Zouqan
RAMALLAH, Palestine
(AA) - Israel has approved the construction of 12,159 illegal settlement units in the
occupied West Bank this year, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said Saturday.
On Thursday, the
Israeli government approved a plan to build 3,212 new units in the Jewish-only
settlements in the West Bank.
"The [Israeli] move
came after the signing of normalization agreements with the United Arab
Emirates and Bahrain under US auspices," the PLO said in a statement.
"This is a defiance
to international law and UN resolutions and disregard to the international
community," it added.
Last month, the UAE
and Bahrain agreed to establish full diplomatic, cultural, and commercial
relations with Israel after signing controversial US-sponsored agreements on
Sept. 15 at the White House.
Abu Dhabi and Manama
alleged that their deals with Israel halted the Israeli annexation plan, which
takes almost 30% of the occupied West Bank. However, on several occasions
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed the plan
is only postponed.
Moreover, Israeli authorities on Thursday issued three military orders to confiscate 11,000
dunums (around 2,700 acres) from the occupied Jordan Valley in the West Bank.
The West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, is regarded as occupied territory under international
law, thus making all Jewish settlements there illegal.
*Ahmed Asmar
contributed to this report from Ankara -