Israel’s government Sunday approved the construction of 31 settler homes in Hebron, the first such green light for the flashpoint West Bank city since 2002, a cabinet minister said. Construction permits were agreed in October last year but needed the government’s approval, according to the Peace Now NGO which monitors settlement construction in occupied territory. “For the first time in more than 20 years, Hebron will have a new Jewish neighbourhood where a military camp once stood,” Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said after the weekly cabinet meeting.
