Israeli settlement expansion in occupied Al-Quds eliminates chances to establish a Palestinian state
The Israeli occupation has escalated settlement building activities in occupied Al-Quds in implementation of its colonialist annexation schemes and with the aim of ending any chance for establishing a Palestinian state on the June 4th, 1967 line with Al-Quds as its capital.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization’s National Bureau for Defending the Land and Resisting Settlements said in its weekly report that the occupation authorities announced a plan to establish 15,000 settlement units in the town of Qalandia, north of occupied Al-Quds, pointing out that this settlement will be the second largest settlement in the east of Al-Quds, which would undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital.
According to the report, the occupation also announced a plan to establish a settlement outpost on the Palestinians’ land in the town of Silwan in Al-Quds. This settlement outpost will be connected to a settlement already built on Abu Deis village, north of Al-Quds, the report said, pointing out that this plan will cut any geographic connection between Al-Quds and the West Bank from the eastern side.
The report went on to say that the Israeli occupation razed Palestinian areas in Bethlehem, Nablus and Salfit in order to establish settlement roads that isolate the Palestinian towns and cities from each other and connect the settlements to each other.
The occupation forces also demolished houses in several towns in occupied Al-Quds and delivered notifications about demolishing houses and facilities in Silwan town in Al-Quds and in the towns of Masafer yatta, Susiyya and Beirin in Al-Khalil, the report added.
It pointed out that the Israeli settlers continued to escalate their attacks on the Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank cities and on Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the occupation forces. They burnt and chopped down hundreds of trees in Nablus, Salfit, the northern Jordan Valley, Bethlehem and Al-Kahlil and prevented famers from entering their lands. The settlers also seized swathes of Palestinian land in Salfit to establish a settlement outpost.
Hamda Mustafa