Israel authorized the construction of 3,000 housing units in the West Bank Tuesday, despite criticism from the international community, who argue that the land is seen by Palestinians as the site of their future state. This is the fourth and largest approval for West Bank expansion since US President Donald Trump assumed office in January. Israel had halted the expansion [Al Jazeera report] under the administration of Barack Obama, who condemned their settlements in the West Bank. Many in the international community believe that the Israeli settlements violate international law. Hours after the announcement, Israeli forces began evacuating [NYT report] the outpost of Amona.

Recent conflicts between Israel and Palestine [HRW backgrounder] over settlements in the occupied West Bank have raised concerns over possible human rights violations. Last week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will be lifting restrictions [JURIST report] on Israelis building settlements in East Jerusalem. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated [JURIST report] that the latest Israeli settlement plans creates an obstacle to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, which is a “great concern to the Secretary-General.” The UN rights chief stated [JURIST report] in December that the Israeli settlement legislation violated international law. In November, the Israel High Court of Justice ruled that the controversial Amona settlement in the West Bank must be dismantled [JURIST report] by December 25. Earlier the same month Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation unanimously approved [JURIST report] the Formalization Bill to legalize the West Bank outposts, which was intended in part to stop the evacuation of Amona outpost.