(VOVworld) - Israeli planning authorities approved the construction of 153 new apartments in West Bank settlements on Monday, ending a 18-month informal construction freeze.

Construction work in Elazar, a settlement in the Gush Etzion bloc, in July 2010 (haaretz)

For almost two years, the Israeli government has refused to advance new building plans in the territories, fearing the US would retaliate by refusing to veto anti-Israel resolutions in the UN Security Council. The only plans that did move forward involved either legalization of existing outposts or master plans for areas where petitions to the High Court of Justice spurred the government to act.