Binyamin Netanyahu at cabinet meeting, June 2nd 2019
Binyamin Netanyahu at cabinet meeting, June 2nd 2019Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

The Cabinet ministers have agreed on a number of criteria under which the plans for the construction of housing units for Palestinian Arabs in Area C of Judea and Samaria will be approved, Arutz Sheva has learned.

Due to the set of criteria demanded by some ministers, the plans which were brought in for approval were reduced by more than half in number during the Cabinet meetings on the subject earlier this week. Further adjustments were made Tuesday. The final plan was approved unanimously today.

The first conclusion is about the formulation of an Israeli strategic plan with regard to Area C, which will first answer the Palestinian Authority's plans that have been in effect for many years.

In addition, it was stipulated that the plan approvals would be for only a population of 'native residents' of Area C as defined in the Oslo Accords - and not for Arabs wishing to move from Areas A or B.

It was also decided that permits would only be granted subject to plans that do not in any way contradict Israel's security and strategic interests - preventing the creation of territorial sequences and uncontrolled control of these territories, as the PA has attempted to do in order to establish facts on the ground.

Furthermore, a number of ministers demanded that a policy should immediately be formulated to curb the activities of the Palestinian Authority in Area C, while at the same time intensifying law enforcement activities and demolishing illegal buildings. The Cabinet also agreed to this stipulation.

The final plans are supposed to contain over 700 housing units for Palestinian Arabs which will be raised in the Supreme Planning Council, along with some 6,000 housing units for Jewish residents.

Due to the Cabinet discussions, the Supreme Planning Council meeting scheduled for this week was also postponed. The council will meet now that the ministers have made their final decision.