Israeli defense officials approve plans for 1,000 West Bank settlement homes – watchdog

Israel’s government has advanced plans to build over 1,000 new homes in West Bank settlements, an Israeli watchdog group has said. According to Peace Now, nearly 400 homes received final approval from defense officials for construction to begin, while the rest require further bureaucratic approvals. Israel’s Civil Administration, the defense body that approves such construction, did not immediately comment on the report, AP said. Some 600,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem – territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians for a future state. Israel says the fate of the settlements must be resolved in peace negotiations with the Palestinians.