A view shows Palestinian houses in the West Bank village of Wadi Fukin as the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit is seen in the background, June 23, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Mussa Qawasma / File.

Israel okayed more than 1,300 new settler homes in the West Bank on Wednesday in the first such go-ahead since it suspended annexation plans in the territory.

Israel’s West Bank Civil Administration planning committee gave final approval for building 1,313 housing units in several settlements, it said in a statement. Plans for another 853 units were advanced but have not yet been given final approval.

A statement from Beit El settlement said 350 new housing units would be built there. It hailed the committee’s decision as “a tremendous achievement for Beit El.”

The forum, which last held such a hearing eight months ago, was due to reconvene on Thursday to advance additional projects in settlements, its publicly-available agenda showed.