Occupied Palestine (QNN) - The Israeli occupation authorities on Thursday approved the construction of over 4,000 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank. Peace Now, an anti-settlement organization, said that the Higher Planning Committee of the Israeli Civil Administration has given a final approval for 2,791 new settlement units and an initial endorsement for another 1,636. Hagit Ofran, a Peace Now expert, pointed out that the Israeli Higher Planning Committee approved the 4,427 new settlement units at a meeting that she attended. "This is bad news for ‘Israel’ and deepens the occupation, making it harder to achieve future peace," Ofran said. For its part, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronot said that the advancement of the new settlement units is considered the biggest since the Biden administration took office. Meanwhile, The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, condemned Israel's approval of thousands of illegal settlement units, describing the decision as "unilateral and provocative". "Continued settlement expansion further entrenches the occupation, encroaches upon Palestinian land and natural resources, and hampers the free movement of the Palestinian population," he said. There are nearly 600,000 Israeli settlers living in at least 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.