Occupation’s plan to build 3,500 new settlement units in occupied Al-Quds threaten with cutting geographical connection between this city and Bethlehem

The occupied city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) is facing a large-scale Israeli settlement building scheme that aims at changing the city’s Palestinian Arab identity and demographic composition in favor of the settlers. The Israeli occupation plans to establish 3,500 settlement units to expand a settlement established south of the city, which threatens with eliminating geographical connection between it and the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

The PLO’s National Bureau for Defending the Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its weekly report on Saturday that the Israeli occupation will build these units on an area of 140 dunums from southern Al-Quds to the south-eastern region near the towns of Beit Safafa, Umm Tuba, and Sur Bahir in the region separating  between Al-Quds and Bethlehem along the Al-Khalil (Hebron) Road , in clear disregard for the international community’s rejection of settlement occupation schemes and its affirmation of their illegality and the need to stop them.

The report pointed out that the occupation government, to falsify history, intends to establish two settlements near archaeological sites in the town of Sebastia north of Nablus and in Jericho, in addition to seven outposts in various archaeological sites in the West Bank, indicating that the policy of Judaizing Palestinian antiquities is not new because the vast majority of archaeological areas are under the control of the occupation, which is changing its features and names in line with its settlement and Judaization plans, as Israel conducts large-scale excavations to expand settlements and steal most of the Antiquities in the place.

The report stated that the settlers are intensifying their attacks on the cities and towns of the West Bank, where hundreds of them – including a minister in the occupation government, Itamar Ben – Gvir and Knesset members-stormed the Old City of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy guard amid widespread Palestinian, Arab and international condemnation.  They also stormed towns in Hebron and Bethlehem, uprooted 200 fruit trees, mostly olives, bulldozed agricultural land in several villages, seized land to establish new outposts, and attacked Palestinian homes and property in several towns.

Amal Farhat