Jerusalem (IINA) : Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel’s Council of Settlements in the West Bank approved large settlement plans, under the guise of trying to solve the housing crisis in the West Bank’s Gush Dan settlement bloc.

The plans, made in agreement with Israeli Housing Minister Yoav Galant, were presented in the Israeli Knesset, and aim to construct around 67,000 settlement units in the western part of the West Bank, said the newspaper.

“Leaders of settlers called for building more housing units to solve the country’s housing crisis which isn’t something new, but the recent plan which was presented to the Israeli Knesset was made in cooperation with the Housing Minister,” it added.

Palestinian News Agency WAFA reported that hundreds of thousands of Jews live in about 140 settlements built on land which the Palestinians claim for a future state.

Despite the illegality and the international community’s disapproval of the settlements, Israel announced recently more plans to construct thousands of new houses in the West Bank settlement blocs.