Israel has revealed plans to build 2,570 settlement homes near Jerusalem, stirring strong criticism from Palestinian officials. The new homes are linked to Israel’s Geva Binyamin (Adam) settlement in the occupied West Bank, but the designated land is separate from the current settlement and lies closer to Neve Yaakov in East Jerusalem. This marks the first potential expansion of Jerusalem's borders since 1967. The Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem governorate condemned the plan as "a blatant attempt to conceal the annexation process behind misleading planning titles," according to Wafa news agency. Israeli rights group Peace Now stated, "The new settlement will function in every way as a neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and its designation as a ‘neighbourhood’ of the Adam settlement is merely a pretext intended to conceal a move that effectively applies Israeli sovereignty to areas of the West Bank." The project targets Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community and awaits final approval from Israel’s Higher Planning Committee. In recent years, Israel has intensified efforts to control West Bank land. On February 8, the Israeli security cabinet approved measures to expand security control and ease land purchases for settlers. Eight Muslim countries condemned this, saying it imposes a “new legal and administrative reality” to accelerate “illegal annexation and displacement of the Palestinian people.” The Palestinian Authority called it an “open Israeli attempt to legalise settlement expansion” and land theft. Over 700,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements, considered illegal under international law, alongside 3.3 million Palestinians. Israeli forces frequently raid West Bank areas and settler violence against Palestinians is rising. In January 2024 alone, at least 694 Palestinians were forced from their homes due to settler attacks, the highest since the war in Gaza started in October 2023, says the UN.