Israel’s Security Cabinet voted Tuesday to approve construction of hundreds of homes for Palestinian Authority Arabs in Area C of Judea and Samaria – the part of the territories that is under the total civil administrative and security control of the Jewish State in accordance with the Oslo Accords.
Under the approved construction plan, 700 housing units will be built for Arab citizens of the Palestinian Authority, but in Area C. The homes will allegedly be provided only to native residents of the area. Another 6,000 housing units will be built for Israeli citizens living in the same area.
The approval was unanimous, with “yes” votes also coming from right-wing members of the Bayit Yehudi party Education Minister Rafi Peretz and Transportation Minister Betzalel Smotrich.
“The construction – meant solely for native Arab residents of Area C – will be conducted in a way that benefits Israel’s security and strategic interests,” Smotrich told reporters following the vote.
Sources said the vote appeared to come in response to pressure from the Trump administration. Senior White House adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner is expected to arrive in Israel in the next few days as he begins the next step in his effort to sell his “Prosperity to Peace” economic development plan to the region.