Israel confiscates more Palestinian lands in the West Bank to expand illegal settlements: Report

Over the past week, the Israeli occupation continued to confiscate more Palestinian lands in the West Bank in order to expand its illegal settlements in a blatant violation of all international resolutions that stress the illegality of these settlements and call for stopping their expansion, the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) National Bureau for Defending the Land and Resisting Settlements said in its weekly report published on Saturday.

According to the report, the occupation authorities announced a plan to establish 2000 new settlement units to expand a settlement already built on the land of Al-Masharef Mount in the occupied city of Al-Quds. The occupation authorities also announced another plan to build settlement units on an area of 3.6 dunums of land in the town of Lifta Al-Fouqa, which is considered as Al-Quds western gate and which overlooks the villages and neighborhoods of Shuafat, Beit Hanina, Beit Iksa and Lifta Al-Tahta in East Al-Quds.

 Another plan to build 372 new settlement units was also announced by the occupation with the aim of expanding a settlement that has already been built on the land of Al-Khalil city, the report said, adding that the occupation authorities razed swathes of Palestinian land in Ain Al-Auja area in Ariha city and seized 21 dunums of land in the town of Bruqin in Salfit in order to establish two settlement outposts. The occupation also razed 200 dunums of agricultural lands in the village of Al-Nabi Elias in Qalqilya and prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing these lands.

However, despite the illegality of the Israeli settlement building activities, the international community does nothing but issuing statements of condemnation.

The report clarified that heads of the missions of the European Union countries visited Palestinian areas threatened by the Israeli settlement expansion in the vicinity of Al-Quds. They stressed in a statement that the Israeli settlements violate the international law and they aim at changing the identity of Al-Quds, pointing out that “the European Union will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders.”

The report pointed out that 26 US Democratic Party members called on the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to pressure the occupation authorities to stop settlement building operations, especially in the occupied city of Al-Quds, and expressed their concern that the occupation’s settlement building plans undermine the chances of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 line.

Despite the congressmen’s rejection of the Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories, the US administration has done nothing to stop it, the report pointed out.

The report went on to say that the demolition of Palestinian homes and property continues unabated. The occupation forces demolished 2 agricultural facilities in the town of Al-Sawahra, 2 residential buildings consisting of 30 houses in the town of Sur Baher in occupied Al-Quds and 3 houses in Khirbat Ma’in and Khirbet Al-Fakhit in Al-Khalil city. The occupation forces also delivered demolition notices for several houses in the village of Twana in Al-Khalil.

The Israeli settlers also continued to attack Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank under the protection of the occupation forces, the report said.

It clarified that the settlers stormed the areas of Al-Baq’a, Al-Buwairah and Beit Anun in Al-Khalil, as well as Burqa in Nablus and attacked Palestinian properties. They also closed the road between Nablus and Ramallah near the town of Turmus’aya, attacked the Palestinians and obstructed the traffic. The settlers also stormed the town of Al-Laban Al-Sharqieh in Nablus, attacked school students, closed the main entrances to the town and prevented the Palestinians from entering or leaving it.

Hamda Mustafa