Israel pushes ahead with illegal settlements plan

On Monday, Israel announced that it was still going forward with plans to build more than 1,000 settler homes in East Jerusalem.

According to France24, the plans are seen as retaliation for a UN vote that granted Palestine non-member status. The plans have also received widespread criticism. The plans risk renewing tensions with the Palestinians, as well as with Western allies. According to Washington Post, a spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry said that another stage in plans for the construction of 1,5000 homes in Ramat Shlomo have been approved. According to UPI, the Israeli Prime Minister's office issued a statement saying that this isn't the beginning of construction but it is another stage in an existing project. The President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, said that the decision to move forward with the project is just a blatant challenge to the international community. Abbas instructed the Palestinian envoy at the United Nations to contact the U.N. Security Council to stop the settlement building.