Israel to Approve New Settlement Units in Occupied Jerusalem

Israel will approve thousands of new settlement units in Occupied Jerusalem within two weeks in response to the UN Security Council resolution condemning the settlements, Israeli media outlets reported Sunday.

    According to the daily "Israel Hayom", the Civil Administration Planning Committee will approve next Wednesday the establishment of 5600 new housing units in different settlement in Occupied Jerusalem.

    The UN Security Council on Friday passed a resolution calling for an end to the Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise and condemning it as an obstacle to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In a dramatic departure from past policy shielding Israel from such moves, the US refrained from vetoing the resolution.

    The resolution was brought before the 15-member council by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal. Adopted with 14 votes in favor, this is the first resolution the Security Council has passed on Israel and the Palestinians in nearly eight years. 

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, announcing that Israel will re-assess its ties with the United Nations and will not abide by Friday's vote. "I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of UN institutions and the presence of UN representatives in Israel," he said. 

He described the Security Council decision as "biased and shameful", adding: "It will take time, but this decision will be annulled".

Source: QNA