EU report: Israel built 8,000 new settlements in 1st half of '17

BRUSSELS, Dec 18 (KUNA) -- In the first half of 2017, almost 8,000 settlement units in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were built by Israel, said an EU report Monday.
Over several years, this development will enable potentially more than 30,000 Israeli settlers to move to the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according the EU report. The expansion of settlements occurred through a variety of methods, including the approval of a new settlement, the construction of housing units and public structures, and the declaration of Palestinian territory as Israeli "state land".
There are approximately 208,000 Israelis living in East Jerusalem while the settler population in area C in the occupied West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem is some 399,000. This brings the settler population to approximately 600,000 Israeli settlers in 142 locations in the West Bank including East Jerusalem.
Continued settlement expansion, illegal under international law as reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), goes directly against long-standing EU policy, said the report. (end) nk.gta