Sinister objectives of illegal settlement

Consecutive Zionist governments have been pressing ahead with the policy of  settlement construction to achieve sinister objectives, namely changing the geographic and demographic status of the occupied Arab territories paving the way for the influx of  thousands of Jewish incomers and perpetuating the Israeli occupation of the occupied Arab territories.

A United Nations report takes Israel to task for failing to abide by a 2016 Security Council resolution urging the regime to stop its settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian land, saying Tel Aviv has in fact taken “no steps” at all to that effect. The report is published every four months to recount the implementation of Resolution 2334.  As detailed in the report, no steps were taken during the reporting period to cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem  demanded by the resolution.

Some 3,500 housing units in settlements in the so-called Area C of the occupied West Bank had even been either advanced, approved or tendered.

The Area C is the largest division in the occupied territory as it comprises 60 percent of the land. Israel has subjected it to full military control.

The report, meanwhile, said that during the period covered , Israeli authorities had demolished or seized 84 Palestinian-owned structures, resulting in the displacement of 67 people and potentially affecting the livelihoods of 4,500 others.

Most of the UN Security Council member states raise alarm over the non-implementation of an anti-Israel resolution adopted in December 2016.

The council approved Resolution 2334 on December 23, 2016 by a vote of 14-0 when former American president Barack Obama’s administration abstained, stopping short of vetoing the anti-Israel document in a rare move. The resolution states that “it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem , other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations.

Israeli violence has killed more than 130 people since March 30, when Palestinians began holding peaceful March of Return protests on a weekly basis in support of their right to go back to their homeland.

The Israeli regime has approved plans for the construction of about 2,000 settlement units in the occupied West Bank. Israeli media said that the defense ministry of the regime in Tel Aviv which is responsible for the authorization of the internationally-banned settlements gave the go-ahead for the contractions of 1,957 new units in the West Bank.

The decision comes despite increasing international outcry over Israel’s expansion of the settlements which many see as a major impediment to peace in the Middle East. Israel builds the settlements in territories that it captured in a 1967 war. The international community insists those territories belong to the Palestinians and will be part of their future state.

Many governments have condemned the expansion of settlements, saying the policy shows Israel lacks a genuine inclination towards peace. Even the United States, Israel’s closest ally, abstained from a vote condemning the settlements in the United Nations General Assembly in late 2016.

The Human Rights Watch said in a report said that Israeli banks are financing the regime’s unlawful settlement construction activities, saying the move contributed to serious human rights violations and war crimes against Palestinians. In the 41-page report, the New York-based rights group said Israel’s seven largest banks provide services to settlements and facilitate their expansion, thus abetting unlawful population transfers. The report also warned that the Israeli settlements contribute to a discriminatory regime in which Israeli authorities restrict and stunt Palestinian economic development.

Settlements inherently contribute to serious human rights abuses. Companies that conduct business in or with settlements cannot mitigate or avoid contributing to these abuses, because the activities they conduct take place on unlawfully seized land, under conditions of discrimination, and through a serious violation of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power.

Israel’s approval for the new settlements also comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions inside the occupied Palestinian territories, where anti-Israeli sentiments have deepened following Israel’s crackdown on people protesting a crippling blockade in the Gaza Strip. More than 120 people have been killed since protests began on Gaza’s border in March.

The Israeli army has threatened to demolish nearly two dozen Palestinian homes in the northeastern part of the West Bank as the Tel Aviv regime continues with its land expropriation policies in the occupied territories and violation of international law.

Notices have been handed to local citizens, informing that 20 homes, currently uninhabited, would be demolished within the next 60 days for lacking Israeli construction permits. The homes designated for demolition, nevertheless, have valid construction permits issued by the Construction and Organization Committee of the village.

Aqabah is located in the so-called Area C, which constitutes about 61 percent of the entire West Bank and it is directly controlled by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGA(. The so-called COGAT is a unit in the Israeli military that engages in coordinating civilian issues between the Israeli regime, the Israeli military, international organizations, diplomats and the Palestinian Authority.

The COGAT demands permits for new building projects, however, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) – an international organization that promotes and protects the rights of people affected by displacement – the majority of planning requests are firmly rejected, leaving international donors and Palestinians alike with no choice but to construct new buildings anyway.

Since 1967, the Israeli regime has been enforcing the  policy of demolishing the homes of those Palestinians who are deemed by Tel Aviv to be behind fatal attacks against Israeli settlers.  Tel Aviv has been occupying the West Bank, including East al-Quds, since taking the Palestinian territory by force in 1967. Ever since the occupation, it has been propping up settlements throughout the land, in a move condemned by the United Nations, and considered illegal under international law, which bans construction on occupied territory.

The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new tensions ever since US President Donald Trump announced his decision on December 6 last year to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital and relocate the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the occupied city. But the UN General Assembly voted unanimously  on a Resolution considering Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. In an attempt to avert the resolution, Trump had warned that “we’re watching,” threatening reprisals against countries that backed the measure, which had earlier faced a US veto at the UN Security Council.

K.Q.