Israel approves plan to establish 13 new settlements in occupied WB

JERUSALEM, July 3: Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved a plan to establish 13 new settlements in the central occupied West Bank, a move Palestinian officials say will further fragment the territory and isolate East Jerusalem from its surrounding Palestinian communities.

Israel’s Channel 7 reported that the cabinet approved the construction of the illegal settlements on Thursday in the Binyamin regional area, one of the largest settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank.

It is situated along Route 60, the central north-south artery running through the West Bank that links Palestinian cities, including Nablus, Ramallah, and Bethlehem, while also connecting major Israeli settlements.�" AL JAZEERA