Pressure builds to increase colony construction

Ramallah: Controversial Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel is once again using blackmail to procure more Israeli housing units in the Occupied West Bank. A plan to move Israeli military bases from central Israel to the Naqab peninsula has been put on hold until the Israeli treasury approves a budget to build more than 48,000 new housing units in the Occupied West Bank and another 15,000 in occupied East Jerusalem.

According to the Israeli news website ynet, the government is planning to build more illegal housing units in the colonies of Ma’ale Amos (6,000), Bat Ayin (6,000) and Nahliel (3,500). Another 1,060 housing units are planned for a new colony called Gva’ot which has yet to be built.