Israel plans to expand Gilo Jewish settlement by 2,500 units

Israeli lawyer Daniel Seiderman said on Friday that Tel Aviv is seeking to expand the Gilo settlement beyond East al-Quds by constructing 2,500 more settler units.

Seiderman, who is active in the anti-settlement movement, told AFP that the idea was endorsed at a city planning meeting last month.

"Ten days ago, the municipal planning board deliberated on a plan to build another 2,500 units in Gilo. The precise area is beyond the municipal ... line of Gilo," he said, adding that the new settler units would be in addition to plans formally announced last month for 2,000 new homes in Gilo.

The news of planned enlargement comes two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the construction of 300 new settler units at the Jewish settlement of Beit El in the occupied West Bank, which drew international condemnation.

The Palestinians' envoy to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said on Friday that Israel's new surge in settlement building in the Palestinian territories is destroying hopes for any return to peace talks.

"Israel's illegal actions continue to undermine any and all efforts to resume the peace process, including via direct negotiations," Mansour told the UN Security Council.

Palestinians have repeatedly said that new round of talks with the Israeli regime cannot be resumed unless there is a complete halt in settlement expansion activities. Palestinians want East al-Quds as the capital of their future state.

Gilo, a controversial Jewish settlement, is built on the land captured by Israel in 1967. Tel Aviv later annexed the area to the al-Quds municipality in a move not recognized by the international community.

All settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds are considered illegal under international law.