Israel approves funds to expand Hebron settlement

JERUSALEM – The Israeli government has approved plans to expand a Jewish settlement in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron.

Sunday’s decision approved $6.1 million to finance the construction of new housing, day care facilities and parks for the Hezekiya quarter in part of a former Israeli military base. It would be the first expansion of the area in 16 years.

Hebron, the West Bank’s largest city, is a frequent flashpoint of violence. Several hundred hard-line Jewish settlers live in heavily fortified enclaves amid tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Peace Now, an anti-settlement watchdog group, says the planned construction faces a number of legal challenges that could stall it for over a year.