The European Union criticized on Monday Israels advancement of over 2,000 new homes in West Bank settlements. In a statement, the EU reiterated its longstanding position that all settlement activity on occupied land is illegal and "erodes the viability" of the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now said Israeli authorities approved various planning stages for the construction of 2,342 new housing units in the occupied West Bank last month. It revealed Israel has already pushed forward plans for over 8,300 settlement homes this year — an increase of 50 percent over all of 2018. Israels Foreign Ministry declined comment, and COGAT, the defense body that authorizes settlement construction, did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.