Israeli authorities on Tuesday advanced plans for 1,500 settler homes in the occupied West Bank, including units for the first new official settlement in some 25 years, the Peace Now NGO said.

A defence ministry committee advanced the plans and may do so for around 1,000 more on Wednesday, the NGO that tracks settlement building said in a statement.

The move came as Israelis and Palestinians marked the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War, when Israel's occupation of the West Bank began.