On Wednesday, Israel's Higher Planning Committee authorized the construction of 3,500 new settlement units, as reported by a correspondent from Sky News Arabia.
The majority of these new units are slated for the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, located between Jerusalem and Jericho, with the remainder to be built in nearby settlements within the same area or close to Bethlehem.
This approval comes in the wake of a shooting incident last month at the Al-Zaim checkpoint near the settlement.
Following the attack, Bezalel Smotrich, the extremist Finance Minister who is also in charge of the Civil Administration, demanded a response through the approval of thousands of settlement units.
Recently, Israel declared areas near the Ma'ale Adumim settlement as "state land," paving the way for construction.
Construction in Ma'ale Adumim often draws widespread international criticism because the settlement extends from Jerusalem eastwards towards the Dead Sea.
Through the expansion of this settlement, Israel aims to divide the West Bank into northern and southern sections, complicating the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.
Israel's announcement of its intention to approve these settlement units has elicited angry reactions from the United States, the European Union, and Arab countries.
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