Israel approved more than 1,300 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Peace Now settlement-monitoring group said.
Peace Now said a planning committee in Israel's Civil Administration in the West Bank gave final approval for building 1,357 housing units in several settlements.
A statement from Beit El settlement said 350 new housing units would be built there. It hailed the committee's decision as "a tremendous achievement for Beit El".
Peace Now said the committee was set to move forward with projects comprising at least 4,430 new settler homes.
The decision drew an angry response from Palestinians.
"We urge the international community to intervene immediately to stop this settlement madness, which destroys any chance for a genuine peace process," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
