Today, Wednesday, the Supreme Planning Council of the "Civil Administration" of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank approved the construction of about 3,500 new housing units in the "Ma'ale Adumim", "Efrat" and "Kedar" settlements, claiming that it comes in the wake of the shooting attack at a checkpoint. 

This approval came a year after the head of the extremist Religious Zionism Party, Bezalel Smotrich, was appointed a minister in the Ministry of Security and responsible for settlement, in addition to assuming the position of Minister of Finance.

Israeli media reported that during Smotrich's tenure as minister in the Ministry of Security, approval was made for the construction of 18,515 housing units in settlements in the West Bank, which is the largest number of housing units approved in one year.

Following the approval of settlement construction today, Smotrich said, “We have implemented great things for settlement this year, and this is a good start.

In parallel with my approval of housing units, we will advance the settlement (i.e., legalization) of youth settlement (i.e., random settlement outposts), a land survey and the issuance of decrees regarding it, security personnel, and streets in Judea and Samaria on an unprecedented scale.”

Smotrich claimed, “Our enemies seek to target us and weaken our control in the country, and our message is exactly the opposite. The State of Israel will continue to grow and develop throughout it, and settlement will increase and flourish. Today everyone realizes that where there is settlement throughout the country there is security, and where there is no settlement there is "Terrorist monsters threaten the entire State of Israel."

Smotrich considered the settlement in the occupied West Bank “a security belt for the State of Israel - Israel’s shield. I thank the Prime Minister, the Minister of Security, the Minister of Strategic Affairs, and the employees of the Civil Administration and the Planning Office for their cooperation.”