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Israel notifies U.S. of plan to greenlight thousands of new homes in Judea and Samaria

In a bid to prevent embarrassing the White House, American and Israeli officials confirmed that the Israeli government had informed their counterparts in Washington. 

By World Israel News Staff

Israel has notified the Biden Administration of its intention to greenlight the construction of 4,000 new housing units in Judea and Samaria this month, the Axios news site reported on Monday.

The planned units will be built within existing communities and an official announcement is expected to be made before the end of June, according to the report.

Three American and Israeli officials confirmed that the Israeli government had informed their counterparts in Washington in advance of the formal announcement, in a bid to prevent embarrassing the administration.

In March 2010, Israel announced it would build 1,600 new apartment units in Ramat Shlomo, a Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem perceived as a “settlement” by the international community while Joe Biden was on a visit to the country, angering the then-vice president and souring ties between the US and Israel for several months.

Earlier this year, Israeli officials denied reports that it had agreed to U.S. demands to halt construction in Judea and Samaria, promising that some 9,500 new units would be built in the ensuing months.