Israel began building 20,000 settler homes during Netanyahu’s decade of rule – NGO

Israel has begun building nearly 20,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank during the past decade of Benjamin Netanyahu’s premiership, according to settlement watchdog Peace Now.

The group’s annual settlement report, published on Tuesday, highlighted how the issue complicates the chances of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Construction of 19,346 settler homes had started between 2009 – the year that Netanyahu became prime minister for a second time – and the end of 2018.

“Even if the government does not believe that peace can be achieved in the near future, there is no logic to expanding the settlements and making the solution impossible,” Peace Now said.

About 630,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in tense proximity to three million Palestinians, AFP said.