The plans followed a relatively long hiatus of about eight months this week: in February, the Israeli government last approved settlement construction projects. The statement may be that Prime Minister Netanyahu first wanted to reach a diplomatic agreement with the United Arab Emirates.
The Emirates signed an agreement with Israel last month to establish official relations with each other. The Arab country of Bahrain also decided to recognize Israel as a country. Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged not to annex any parts of the West Bank for the time being, something he had promised his supporters several times.
Settlements have grown faster since Trump
Calling off that annexation was a setback for many Israeli settlers – an important group of voters for Netanyahu. With the approval of the building plans, they still have something to celebrate this week.
In any case, settlements are growing faster than before since the inception of US President Trump. Under Donald Trump, the United States no longer considers the settlements to be in violation of international law. The vast majority of the international community, including the Netherlands and the European Union, still see the settlements as illegal.
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