Israel approved the construction of 463 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, despite growing international criticism over such projects.
The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, as the capital of their future state. Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel has advanced plans for more than 1,000 housing units in east Jerusalem and 735 units in the West Bank since July 1.
Israel has undertaken a land survey on the outskirts of Bethlehem for the establishment of a new settlement in a move that would contribute to the “dismemberment of the southern West Bank”.
Settlements are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians see as part of their future state.