Israel is to authorize thousands of settler units  built illegally in the occupied West Bank, according to Haaretz.

The Hebrew newspaper said that Israel's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, in coordination with Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked, had approved the use of a legal tactic that would allow the legalization of about 2,000 illegally-built Israeli houses throughout the West Bank.

This move followed an earlier announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlining a series of measures he would take in favor of the settlement activity in the West Bank.

The targeted settler houses were built on privately-owned Palestinian lands, the paper said.

Nearly 700,000 Israelis live in over 425 settler outposts which cover 46% of the total area of the West Bank and Al-Quds (Jerusalem), and they carry out almost daily attacks on the Palestinians and their property.