Ramallah, Sha'ban 20, 1435, Jun 18, 2014, SPA -- Palestinian Presidency condemned on Wednesday a decision by the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem to build 172 new housing units in the settlement of ‘Har Homa’ (Jabal abu Ghnaim), illegally built on the land of Bethlehem. According to WAFA, Presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu-Rudeineh said the decision “constitutes an escalation which contributes to more tension of the atmosphere.” He said the continuation of settlement expansion and “Judiazation” of Jerusalem by the Israeli government is outright rejected and contradicts with international law, holding Israel accountable for the “grave consequences” of settlement expansion as well as calling upon the world and the relevant bodies to intervene to stop this policy. Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem approved a plan to build 172 new housing units in the illegal settlement of HarHoma located on the land of Bethlehem. --SPA 20:07 LOCAL TIME 17:07 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w