The Israeli regime has legalized an old settler enclave in the West Bank, stepping up efforts to Judaize occupied Palestinian territories

The Israeli regime has legalized an old settler enclave in the West Bank, stepping up efforts to Judaize occupied Palestinian territories.

The Shvut Rachel settlement, which hosts 95 Israeli families, was retrospectively legitimized by an official committee last week, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

According to the settlement’s acting mayor, Yaakov Moshe Levi, the committee has legalized 115 apartments already constructed or under construction. The panel also endorsed in principle the construction of almost 500 more apartments in the settlement.

Shvut Rachel, located on a hilltop in the heart of the West Bank, was established 21 years ago after Israeli settlers seized the land without official permission from Tel Aviv.

The legalization come after Peace Now, an anti-settlement NGO based in occupied Palestine, lodged an appeal against illegal construction in the area to the Israeli Supreme Court.