A/HRC/22/63 unauthorized outposts and no reference to the 2.5 million Palestinian living in the West Bank is included.67 (9 July) • The Judea and Samaria Council for Higher Education grants for the first time a fullfledged University recognition to a Centre located beyond the green line, Ariel University Centre, despite opposition by the planning and budget committee of the State's Council for Higher Education68. The University is open to all Israeli citizens, including Arab-Israelis but closed to Palestinians residing in the West Bank. 69 (17 July) • The UN General Assembly votes for Palestine to become a non-member state with observer status. (29 November) • PM Netanyahu authorises the building of 3,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. (30 November) • In analysis of building in settlements for the year 2012, it was revealed that plans for 6,676 residential units were approved in 201270. This represents an increase from 1,607 housing units approved for construction in 2011 and the several hundred housing units approved in 2010. Among the housing construction plans approved were 3,500 residential units intended for the E-1 corridor, 523 for the new settlement of Gevaot and more than 500 in Itamar. Construction began on 1,747 housing units in West Bank settlements last year, the Peace Now report also says. More than a third of the construction in the settlements was east of the West Bank separation fence, according to the report. Four new outposts went up in 2012: Nahlei Tal near the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Tzofin Tzafon (Tzofin North) near the Palestinian city of Qalqilyah, Nahalat Yosef near Nablus and Hill 573 as part of an expansion of the Itamar settlement. Altogether, 317 new housing units were built in settlement outposts without building permits, which is against the law. 71 67 68 69 70 71 38 B’Tselem, ―Levy Committee Report: Where are the Palestinians?‖ 11 July 2012. Haaretz, ―Ariel academic center recognized as first Israeli university beyond Green Line. Decision on West Bank campus made despite opposition by Israel's Council for Higher Education.‖ By Talila Nesher, 17 July 2012 http://digitaljournal.com/article/328824#ixzz2DhMH1Jcf and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worldmiddle-east-18879786 Peace Now ―Summary of Year 2012 in Settlements‖ report. Haaretz, ―Approval for settlement plans jumped 300% in 2012, says Peace Now.‖ By Chaim Levinson, 16 January 2013