Report: Israel plans new homes in West Bank settlements
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Israeli media say the government has advanced plans for the construction of 285 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Wednesday's decision prompted a swift condemnation from the White House.
The Haaretz website says a military planning committee approved 31 new housing units in the Beit Ariyeh settlement and 20 new units in Givat Zeev near Jerusalem.
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Haaretz says it also retroactively approved 178 housing units in Beit Ariyeh that had been built illegally in the 1980s.
The committee has also advanced plans for a senior citizens' home of 234 housing units in the settlement of Elkana.
The White House said the move poses a "serious and growing threat" to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.