Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday called on a new wave of settlement building in the West Bank and Jeruslam, after the Palestinians have been granted full membership of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Prime Minister's Office ordered speeding up construction of 2,000 housing units in East Jerusalem, Ma'aleh Adumim, and Gush Etaion, local sources told Xinhua.
Netanyahu convened a meeting with eight senior ministers on Tuesday to discuss possible sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in response to its UNESCO membership. Among the punitive measures are curbing VIP status of senior Palestinian officials to cross Israeli checkpoints, greenlighting more settlement construction, and halting the transfer of tax money that Israel collects on behalf of the PNA.
Government officials were quoted by local Ha'aretz newspaper as saying that quicker settlement building is an initial response, and there will be further measures soon.