Israel plans to construct numerous homes in the West Bank.

OAN’s Roy Francis

12:44 PM – Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Israel’s government approved plans to build over 5,000 homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank on Monday.

The move by Israel has threatened to worsen the already strained relations that the country has with the United States due to the Biden administration’s criticism of Israel’s settlement policy.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the settlements “an obstacle to the horizon of hope we see” in a speech early in June. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also said that the U.S. was “deeply troubled” by the new decision to build more homes.

The White House has not made any public action towards Israel, however, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to be invited to the White House as is customary after an Israeli election.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Issac Wasserlauf downplayed the disagreements with the U.S. on Monday.

“I think the alliance with the U.S. will remain,” he said. “There are disagreements, we knew how to deal with them in the past.”

The move also raised tensions with Palestinians in the area at a time of rising violence in the area. Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group said that Israel has now approved over 13,000 new settlements in 2023, which is nearly three times the number of houses approved in 2022.

The Israel’s Defense Ministry planning committee, which oversees settlement constructions, has approved the new expansion of around 5,700 settlement homes, although it was not made clear when construction on the new homes would begin.

Senior Israeli officials have been pushing for more housing settlement and expansion of Israeli policing in the area in recent weeks due to the increase in violence.

Last week, four Israelis were shot and killed by Palestinian gunmen who had opened fire near a Jewish settlement. The same settlement, Eli, will now gain 1,000 more homes as part of the newly approved plans.

The new Israeli government, which took office in December, has made settlement expansion one of its top priorities.

The West Bank and east Jerusalem now house over 700,000 Israelis.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

National Political Correspondent Neil W. McCabe interviewed conservative leader Steve Stern, the owner of the Flag Shirt store, about his focus on election integrity, voter rolls and the Precinct Strategy during the 2024 political cycle.

Director of Investigations at Judicial Watch Chris Farrell says that he believes the report on COVID origins from the director of national intelligence is proof that the Chinese are dictating American policy.

New York City residents get a chance to choose their party’s candidates in primary races for district attorneys in Queens and the Bronx, as well as city council and judgeships.

The president of the Crime Prevention Research Center is speaking out about recent statements by President Biden about pistol braces.

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Zalando, Europe’s biggest online fashion retailer, on Tuesday sued the European Commission for putting it in…

By Promit Mukherjee and Toby Sterling JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -Dutch-listed technology investor Prosus NV said on Tuesday it would end a cross-holding structure…

(Reuters) – Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp Business application is now catering to more than 200 million users on its platform, a four-fold jump…

By Josh Ye HONG KONG (Reuters) – Baidu Inc, China’s leading search engine provider, said the latest iteration of its ChatGPT-style service…