West Bank - The Israeli government has authorized the construction of 5,295 housing units in the occupied West Bank, even though the expansion of settlements is viewed as a major obstacle to peace with Palestinians.

Three previously unauthorized settler outposts are also to be given legal recognition, the Peace Now rights watchdog said on Thursday.

The Higher Planning Council, the Israeli government body responsible for approving new housing construction, has passed the corresponding resolutions, Peace Now said.

The occupation authorities had already decided to legalize five outposts last week. These wildcat settlements are mostly built on hilltops and consist of caravans. They are even illegal under Israeli law, but are occasionally legalized retroactively.

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All of Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.

During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, among other territories. Today, around 700,000 Israeli settlers live there along with 3 million Palestinians.

According to Peace Now, there were 250,000 settlers in 1993.

Since the end of 2022, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has governed in a coalition with ultra-religious and radical right-wing parties.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is himself a settler, has secured a say in the military administration in the West Bank as a result of the coalition agreements. This allows him to wield major influence over the authorization of settlement construction.