Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the occupation authorities “don’t need permission from the United States” to build in West Bank settlements.
“Israel is a sovereign state and does not ask for permission to operate in its territory,” Lapid said.
He spoke amid the latest diplomatic row between the Zionist and the United States over the meeting of the Higher Planning Council for the West Bnak on Thursday to advance and approve plans for 3,988 settler units.
The Biden administration had asked Tel Aviv not to advance the plans, given its opposition to any Israeli settlement construction.
“We always update the Americans” when it comes to settlement construction, Lapid added, noting that this was not the same thing needing their approval.
To offset US anger regarding the move, Israeli occupation authorities cut back on the scope of the plans by some 1,800-2,000 units. But the move did not appease the Biden Administration, which like the former Obama administration does not want to see the approval of any settlement plans.
When asked about tension with the US on this matter, Lapid said, that if the advancement of plans for 3,988 settler homes had “international consequences – it is my job to deal with them and I will deal with them.”
Source: Israeli media
