(VOVworld) - Israel has given preliminary approval for the construction of 243 new homes on West Bank land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem, and advanced plans for another 270 homes in the same area.

Laborer stands on apartment building construction site in Jewish settlement known to Israelis as Har Homa and to Palestinians as Jabal Abu Ghneim, West Bank, Oct. 28, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

A municipal spokeswoman said on Thursday that Jerusalem's municipal planning committee authorized 243 new housing units in Ramot. It also approved changes to pre-existing plans for 270 homes there and in Har Homa. Israel describes both settlements as Jerusalem "neighborhoods." The land in question was captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed to Jerusalem in a move never recognized internationally.