JERUSALEM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Liebermann said on Thursday that he will seek next week a fast-track approval for some 2,500 new housing units in West Bank.
Lieberman said in a statement that the construction approvals for additional 1,400 homes will be promoted, but not immediately.
"In the coming months, we will bring for approval thousands of more housing units," he said in the statement.
The defense minister said the new construction will include 400 housing units in Ariel, a large settlement in the northern West Bank, and 460 units in Ma'aleh Adumim, another settlement near Jerusalem.
The statement came two days after the Palestinians accused Israel of systematic crimes, including apartheid, and called on the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate Israel's policy in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem, including the expansion of settlements.
Israel rejected the move, saying the International Criminal Court does not have jurisdiction to investigate its policies.
About 600,000 Israelis live in the settlements in areas where the Palestinians want to build their future state.
