settlements

Israel has given final approval for 764 new homes in three settlements in the occupied West Bank, drawing condemnation from the Palestinian Authority and highlighting the strain on regional diplomacy as humanitarian aid to Gaza lags far behind targets set under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The approvals were announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist who opposes a Palestinian state. Smotrich said that since late 2022, when he took office, 51,370 housing units have been cleared by the government’s…