Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday he was pushing ahead with the construction of 5,000 new Jewish homes in key areas of east Jerusalem.

On a visit to the Har Homa neighborhood, Netanyahu pledged to build the homes there and in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood.

Netanyahu pledged to turn Har Homa into a �mid-sized city,� and expanding a presence that many believe has already dealt a devastating blow to the Palestinian dream of independence.

Building in the areas has previously sparked international outcry, which has at times reined in Netanyahu�s settlement building sprees. But emboldened by President Donald Trump�s support and his favorable Mideast plan, he appears to be charging ahead with construction there.

�We are connecting Jerusalem. We are connecting all parts of the united Jerusalem, the rebuilt Jerusalem,� he said. �We did it in the face of fierce international opposition. We surmounted all the obstacles and we have done it.�

Netanyahu said he was pushing forward with 5,200 homes for Jews in the area, in addition to 1,000 new homes for Palestinians who live in Jerusalem�s nearby Beit Safafa neighborhood.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, denounced the move as another of Netanyahu�s �attempts to destroy the two-state solution and any possibility of peace.�

�This is a grave violation of the international law which says that settlements in all the Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem, is illegal,� he added.

(AP)