Israel confiscates 650 acres in the West Bank to annex it to the Maale Adumim settlement. Israel intends to approve the establishment of more than 3,300 settlement units in the occupied West Bank within two weeks of announcing the decision.
Palestinians say the expansion of settlements is part of a deliberate Israeli policy to undermine their ambition to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. According to a report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, just under 700,000 settlers currently live in 279 settlements, compared to 520,000 in 2012.