Israel approves settler building plans in Palestinian West Bank city

AI Summary

Israel approved plans to expand a Jewish settler school in the Palestinian city of Hebron, West Bank, amid controversy over construction that Palestinians claim violates longstanding agreements. The announcement followed Israel's withdrawal from a planning deal with the Palestinian municipality.

By Ali Sawafta and Dedi Hayun HEBRON, West Bank, June 17 (Reuters) - Israel on Wednesday approved the expansion of a Jewish school for settlers living in the centre of the Palestinian city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, in a construction push that Palestinians say violates a decades-old agreement. Israel's finance minister announced the plans a day after saying he had scrapped a deal that gave the Palestinian municipality control over certain planning and construction around Hebron's historic core, home to a flashpoint holy shrine.