The Israeli government is pushing a particularly dramatic development with regard to construction in the settlement communities of Judea and Samaria, which was reinforced even more yesterday following the attack in Eli. The government recently announced approval for 4,500 housing units in the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, this is an impressive increase in the volume of construction and almost double the one recorded in 2020 under President Trump which was considered the largest up to this point.
In addition to this, on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister Smotrich announced the expansion of the Eli settlement by about 1,000 housing units in response to the terrorist attack there, which increases the total number of construction permits in Judea and Samaria to a truly unprecedented number to this day.
PM Netanyahu: Our response to terror is 1000 new housing units in Eli, the site of the terror attack. https://t.co/MudeSQZXRt
— Lidar Gravé-Lazi (@LidarGL) June 21, 2023
According to the data published on various government sites, during Trump's years as President, the number of housing units in the process of starting construction in Judea and Samaria was about 7,000, and in the last year of his term, which was considered a particularly successful year in regards to construction in the settlements, the number of approved units reached 10,223. In the current government, despite President Biden's opposition to it, the number of approved housing units now reaches 13,000 and in just six months, an annual rate of twice as many approvals compared to those from the last year of President Trump's term.
And if that's not enough, this week the government approved a decision that will significantly shorten the approval procedures for construction in Judea and Samaria. Until now, to build in the region, five different approvals from the political level were needed; at the beginning of the process with permission for planning, depositing the construction plans, advertising, marketing and the final approval. The government's new decision leaves only the approval of the start and end of the process in the hands of the political level.
Record high in new construction in Judea and Samaria. During the #Biden era, the number of approved housing units in the region in one year now reaches 13,000 - twice as many approvals compared to those from the last year of former US President Donald Trump's term. pic.twitter.com/cGf129Vgds
— Israel National News - Arutz Sheva (@ArutzSheva_En) June 22, 2023
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, expressed his concerns in regard to American dissatisfaction with the settlement construction: "We are already in a big crisis with the Americans, and this kind of behavior causes damage at a time when we need them. The Americans are rushing to an agreement with Iran, and we don’t want to add additional risks to that, this government is really crazy."
"These are insane numbers," a source familiar with the matter says with regard to the construction plans. https://t.co/tib5UWHQ3H#Israel #settlement #JudeaAndSamaria #Jewish
— Israel Hayom English (@IsraelHayomEng) June 22, 2023
On the other hand, opposition leader Benny Gantz was a bit more welcoming of the construction, while warning against the new process implemented by Netanyahu: "The State of Israel needs to continue to develop settlements in the West Bank in the right places and in the right process. The method until now, despite being bureaucratic and long, has made it possible to maintain the balances correctly. Netanyahu gave in to Smotrich's pressure and transferred more powers to him."
