Report: Israel approved nearly 14,000 West Bank apartments during peace talks

Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel promoted plans and tenders for nearly 14,000 housing units in the West Bank during the nine months of peace talks.

An average of 50 apartments was built every day in the West Bank throughout the U.S.-backed negotiations, Peace Now said in a report issued on Tuesday.

Of the tenders issued for building new apartments, 2,248 were in the West Bank and 2,620 in eastern Jerusalem, according to Peace Now. In addition, tenders for another 1,235 were reissued for units that were not sold in previous tenders.

Plans promoted for other new apartments include 4,793 units in isolated settlements and 1,768 in settlements closer to the Green Line, as well as 2,422 in eastern Jerusalem.

The average yearly number of tenders for the current Netanyahu government is four times higher than in previous governments, including the first Netanyahu government, according to Peace Now.

The report was issued on the official last day of the scheduled nine months of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations under the auspices of the United States.

The Palestinians have insisted on a settlement construction freeze, among other demands, in order to extend the negotiations.

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