Since the beginning of last December, the Supreme Planning Council of the occupation's "Civil Administration" in the West Bank has approved the construction of 2,377 housing units in the settlements, including approximately 400 housing units that were approved last Wednesday.

The expansion and acceleration of settlement construction comes after the decision of the Israeli Finance Minister and Minister in the Ministry of Defense, Bezalel Smotrich, who is responsible for settlements, that the Supreme Planning Council will hold weekly meetings to approve building plans in the settlements, instead of holding a meeting every three or four months, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper today, Monday.

The move to weekly meetings of the Supreme Planning Council aims to significantly increase the approval of construction plans in settlements and their expansion during the year 2025 compared to previous years.

In 2023, plans were approved to build 12,349 housing units in the settlements, and plans to build 9,884 housing units in 2024, according to the newspaper. Settlers expect the number of housing units approved during the weekly meetings of the Supreme Planning Council to increase significantly.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli government approved, in July 2023, a decision stipulating that Smotrich alone would approve the advancement of construction plans in the settlements without the need for government approval, while before that the Israeli government was the one that approved such construction plans, through a system agreed upon with the United States.

Peace Now commented on the newspaper's report, saying, "The move to rapidly advance construction in the settlements is another step towards de facto annexation being implemented by the Israeli government. This is a complete normalization of planning and construction in the settlements, with the aim of advancing as many housing units as possible, while at the same time refraining from public and international criticism."

"Peace Now" added that "this annexation leads us to a dead end at best and a political-security disaster at worst."