Israel has approved the construction of 6,000 new homes for Israeli settlers and 700 new homes for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a decision decried by Palestinian leaders as showing Israel's "colonial mentality."

The unusual move comes ahead of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who arrives to explore prospects for his faltering Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Details of the plan remain vague, but it has been rejected by the Palestinian leadership, who say the Trump administration is biased toward Israel.

They also dismissed Wednesday’s announcement, saying they rejected any Israeli construction or controls over Palestinian construction in the West Bank. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are seen as illegal under international law although Israel has settled about 400,000 Jews in West Bank settlements, with another 200,000 living in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian leadership criticized the announcement as "evidence of the dark colonial mentality of the rules in Israel and which ignores all United Nations resolutions, international law and the signed agreements."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to annex its West Bank settlements ahead of a September 17 election to drum up his nationalist base. The move is in defiance of some world powers and the Palestinians, who seek to end Israel's occupation of the territory seized in 1967.

Under 1993 Oslo Accord, Israel accepted the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the representative of the Palestinians. Both countries agreed that a Palestinian Authority (PA) would be established and assume governing responsibilities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over five years. But the accord had run aground by the time Clinton left office.  Since then, Israel has been settling Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem until now.