Fox News reports Israeli authorities are expected on Wednesday to give the green light for the construction of 1,071 new homes in six West Bank settlements.
The news came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Jordan at the start of a sixth round of intense diplomacy to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Fox News says it also came as the Israeli response to the European Union's plan to publish on Friday guidelines barring member states from funding projects in Jewish settlements.