(VOVworld) – Israel has reportedly been working on plans to construct a new illegal settlement southwest of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.

The picture shows a general view of construction cranes and excavators at the site of new housing units in the illegal Israeli settlement of Gilo in East Jerusalem al-Quds. (Photo: AFP)

Israeli news website Walla reported Monday that Israel’s Jerusalem municipality filed a plan for 2,500 housing units under the name “olive trees district,” due to the vast number of historic olive trees that span the area of 280,000 square meters. Israeli officials behind the new settlement have reportedly been working for the past eight years on garnering enough support to start building in the area.