Israeli military operations in the West Bank have led to the displacement of around 40,000 Palestinians, marking the largest civilian displacement in the region since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Since the late 1970s, the future of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank has been the country’s most divisive debate. Yet the once-fringe settler movement has arguably become the most influential actor in Israeli politics.

Peace Now says the development of 974 new housing units would allow the population of the Efrat settlement to expand by 40 percent and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

An anti-settlement watchdog says Israel has issued tenders for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank