Israeli officials gave final approval to 153 east Al-Quds settler homes, the deputy mayor said, adding to a sharp increase in such projects since US President Donald Trump took office.
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman told media the approvals by a city planning committee were among those held up due to pressure from former US president Barack Obama’s administration.
Turgeman said developers “could start building from tomorrow”.
Following Trump’s inauguration, Turgeman spoke of plans for some 11,000 homes in process for annexed east Al-Quds.
“I’m going to deliver permits for thousands of homes in Al-Quds in the coming months,” Turgeman said.
Thursday’s approvals were for the settlement neighborhood of Gilo.
Israel has announced a major settlement expansion in the days following Trump’s January 20 inauguration.
On Sunday, the city planning committee approved building permits for 566 settler homes in east Al-Quds.
Two days later, the defense ministry announced plans for 2,500 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.
Trump has pledged strong support for Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has moved quickly to take advantage.
In a telling break with the Obama administration, Trump’s White House has not condemned Israel’s settlement expansion.
The announcements have deeply concerned those seeking to salvage a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Settlements are viewed by much of the world as illegal and major stumbling blocks to peace efforts as they are built on Palestinian land.
Obama’s administration, like much of the world, warned that settlement expansion was gradually eating away at prospects for a two-state solution.
