Israel moves ahead with thousands of settler homes despite US opposition

FILE PHOTO: A Palestinian flag hangs on a tree during a protest against Jewish settlements in An-Naqura village near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 29, 2021. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta

JERUSALEM (Reuters): Israel moved forward on Wednesday (Oct 27) with plans to build some 3,000 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, defying the Biden administration's strongest criticism to date of such projects.

A senior Palestinian official said the decision showed that Israel's new government, led by far-right politician Naftali Bennett, was "no less extreme" than the administration of the veteran leader he replaced, Benjamin Netanyahu.