The Israeli anti-occupation group Peace Now has issued a statement condemning an announcement from the Israeli Ministry of Housing over the weekend about a tender for the construction of 62 additional housing units in the settlement of Efrat, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
All Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law.
“Advancing construction deep in Palestinian territory, adjacent to Palestinian population, undermines the chances for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel and deepens the conflict,” the group said in a statement.
“The current tender is a clear statement by the Israeli government that settlement construction continues unabated, and any political resolution is far from the goals of this government.”
