MP Barghouthi stated that the IOA races against time in order to impose a fait accompli and annex the largest possible area of the West Bank lands, adding that Israel's intention to build a new settlement in the Jordan valley area falls under this context which is aimed at seizing the whole area and ruling it out of any future solution.

For its part, the EU's French presidency said in a statement that the EU is deeply concerned about the Israeli decision to invite bids for the building of new settlement units in the Arab eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The statement underlined that it is illegal under international law to build settlements anywhere in the occupied Palestinian lands including eastern Jerusalem, adding that the settlement expansion would undermine the confidence in the current diplomatic process.

The Israeli ministry of settlement had endorsed the building of 763 settlement units in Pisgat Ze'ev in addition to 121 others in Har Homa located in Mount Abu Ghneim. It also approved the construction of 20 new factories in the industrial zone inside the Ari'il settlement.