Americans for Peace Now joins its Israeli sister organization Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) in strongly condemning the Israeli government's decision to advance plans for more settlement construction in the West Bank.

APN believes that any settlement construction in the occupied territories is unacceptable. Today's announcement by Prime Minister Netanyahu is particularly offensive and deserves strong condemnation by anyone who cares about a future negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

• Today's announcement includes 850 housing units in existing settlements, among them ones that will have to be removed in any realistic future two-state scenario.
• Today's announcement includes about 100 housing units in the settlement of Tal Menashe, apparently to avenge the recent murder of one of its residents by a Palestinian terrorist. APN strongly rejects responding to a murder by building more settlements. Settlement construction does not deter Palestinian violence. It only intensifies Palestinian enmity and violence and makes peace harder to attain.
• Folded in today's announcement is the "legalization" of some 250 homes in the illegal outpost of Nofei Nehemia, a rogue settlement built without Israeli government authorization, in violation of Israeli law, let alone international law.
• Last but not least, today's settlement announcement comes a week before the inauguration of a new American administration, an administration that is expected to put an end to the Trump administration's laissez-faire attitude on West Bank settlements.

APN's President and CEO Hadar Susskind said: "with today's announcement, Netanyahu is sending a clear message of defiance to the incoming administration. We call on President-elect Biden and his foreign policy team to make clear right now that the incoming administration will not tolerate further West Bank settlement activity."