Israel approves 2,500 new housing units in the West Bank

A view of the Israeli Jewish settlement of Ariel from the West Bank.
(Image credit: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images)

Seemingly emboldened by the new occupant in the White House, Israel approved on Tuesday the construction of about 2,500 new housing units in West Bank settlements.

With President Trump in office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pressured by members of his right-wing government to step up construction, CNN reports, and on Twitter, he announced that his country is "building — and we will continue to build." About 100 housing units will go up in Beit El, a settlement outside of Ramallah, which in 2003 received a $10,000 donation from the Trump Foundation, CNN reports. Trump gave the money in honor of David Friedman, his bankruptcy attorney and choice for U.S. ambassador to Israel.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.