Israeli PM welcomes expansion of West Bank settlements

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has welcomed a recent decision to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinians and most of the international community view such settlements as a violation of international law. During a visit to the settlement of Elkana on Tuesday, Bennett cast the expansion of settlements as a response to recent Palestinian violence. The Palestinians view settlement construction as the main obstacle to peace because it further undermines their hopes for an independent state on lands Israel seized through war. Last week, a military planning body approved more than 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.