July 30 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promoting a plan to build 700 new Palestinian housing units alongside some 6,000 Israeli units in the West Bank, just weeks after a controversial move to demolish apartments in East Jerusalem.
Israel has been facing criticism from the United Nations and others for tearing down the Palestinian-owned properties this month, officially because they were too close to a military buffer zone. The Israeli Supreme Court approved the toppling of the homes over security concerns.