Israel will advance plans for the construction of over 3,000 settlement homes in response to a deadly terror shooting in Judea and Samaria Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced late Thursday night.

The move is almost certain to cause a rift with the radical Biden administration, which is already under massive domestic and international pressure over its support for Israel in the latter’s war against Hamas and has viewed Israeli settlement construction as a major impediment to an eventual two-state solution.

Smotrich said in a statement that the decision to advance plans for 2,350 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim, 300 in Kedar and 694 in Efrat was made during a meeting he held with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. 

“May every terrorist planning to harm us know that lifting a finger against Israeli citizens will be met with a death blow and destruction in addition to the deepening of our eternal grip on the entire Land of Israel,” Smotrich said, calling the decision “an appropriate Zionist response.”

An Israeli official said the High Planning Subcommittee — the Defense Ministry body under the auspices of Smotrich — will convene in the coming days to advance the settlement construction.

Source - TOI/X - Image - Flash90