JERUSALEM — The Israeli government has approved plans to build nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank, a monitoring group said Thursday, the latest move in a campaign to accelerate settlement expansion, aiming to cement Israeli control over the territory and prevent the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
The relatively low-level conflict has literally set the border ablaze and raised fears of a potentially even more devastating war in the Middle East. Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire between Hamas — a fellow Iran-backed ally — and Israel. The turbocharged settlement drive threatens to further stoke tensions in the West Bank, which has seen a surge in violence since the Gaza war began on Oct. 7.
For his part, Netanyahu has given conflicting stances — he confirmed that the original proposal was an Israeli one but he has also said he would accept only a partial deal, after which Israel would return to its military campaign to destroy Hamas. Hamas political official Bassem Naim said the group has neither accepted nor rejected the American proposal and has “responded with some ideas to bridge the gap” between the two sides, without elaborating. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top political leader, shared suggestions with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish officials, according to Hamas' statement late Wednesday.