Israel advances construction plans: Statement

Israel advances plans for the construction of 558 settler units in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem), says a statement.

The city council said Tel Aviv had pushed forward with plans to build the houses in settlement neighbourhoods.

In a statement listing "building permits that were approved" during a session of the local planning committee, it said permits had been granted to private contractors to build 386 units in Har Homa, 136 units in Neve Yaakov and 36 units in Pisgat Zeev.

Israeli forces also razed down an entire Palestinian village in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank on Thursday.

Israel occupied the Palestinian territories of East , the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank during the Six-Day War of 1967.

The United Nations regards the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured in the war and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.