Israel approves 78 new settler housing units in East Jerusalem

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel on Wednesday approved the construction of 78 new housing units in two settlements on West Bank land annexed to Jerusalem, likely to aggravate Palestinian anger at a time when violence has flared, including a deadly attack on a synagogue.

Jerusalem's municipal planning committee authorised 50 new housing units in Har Homa and 28 in Ramot, a municipal spokeswoman said. Israel describes those two urban settlements as Jerusalem neighbourhoods.

The Palestinians want to establish a state in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. They fear the Israeli enclaves will deny them contiguous territory.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said of the latest announcement: "These decisions are a continuation of the Israeli government's policy to cause more tension, push towards further escalation and waste any chance to create an atmosphere for calm."

Israel's settlement activities have drawn criticism from the European Union and from the United States, which like most countries views settlements as illegal.

Israel, citing biblical links to Jerusalem, says Jews have a right to live anywhere in the city. It regards Jerusalem, including parts of the city occupied in 1967, as its "indivisible" capital. US-brokered peace talks between Israeli and the Palestinians broke down in April.