JERUSALEM, 8 Jun - (ANA) - Israeli authorities have approved building permits for 82 new homes in the illegal settlement of Ramat Shlomo, a neighbourhood near Shuafat in occupied East Jerusalem, an Israeli NGO has said. "On Monday, June 6, the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee approved two building permits for 82 housing units in Ramat Shlomo," Ir Amim, a group that opposes settlement construction, said in a statement on Tuesday. The settlement, which already houses more than 15,000 Israeli Jews, lies in close proximity to the Palestinian neighbourhood of Shuafat. The 82 units in two buildings are part of a larger scheme for expansion announced in 2010 to build an additional 1,600 new settler homes in the neighbourhood. In October 2014, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the construction of 1,000 new homes as part of the plans. The plans have previously raised tensions with the United States, which has repeatedly criticised the ventures to expand the settlement. The 2010 announcement came as US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the country, provoking fierce US opposition and souring relations with Washington for months. Settlements are considered illegal under international law and are a major sticking point for peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. Last week in Paris, representatives from 28 countries, the Arab League, European Union and United Nations met to discuss ways of restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.(ANA)

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