Israel has approved 181 new settlement units in occupied East al-Quds, a Palestinian expert on Israeli settlement-building activity said.
Khalil Tukafji said that the approved settlements have no legal validity according to a resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council.
The move comes a few months after the Israeli government allocated almost $13 billion in financing other West Bank settlements in Kiryat Abra and Hebron.
“Established in 1971, the Gilo settlement currently contains more than 10,000 housing units and is home to some 40,000 Jewish settlers,” he told media.
He added that more illegal settlements may be constructed in the Gilo settlement before the end of the year.
Although only 181 settlements were approved, the Jerusalem Post reported that talks in September concerned the construction of 770 settlements in Gilo, an area beyond the Green line that has been deemed illegal by the EU.
Condemning the move, the US State Department said it “risks entrenching a one-state reality” and that the move threw into question Israel’s aim towards peace with the Palestinians.
