المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
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By : Madeeha Araj,
The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements said in his latest weekly report , that Israeli Occupation Authorities unabatedly continue settlement plans as the Israeli PM recently announces the establishment of a new outpost in the Dolev settlment in the middle of the West Bank, adding that he issued orders to his office’s Director General in order to submit a plan for approval by the Planning and Construction Committee, the plan includes 300 new housing units. He also added, “We are deepening our roots, beating our enemies and doing our best to evelop settlements.
The so-called “High Planning Council” affiliated to the Civil Administration approved a plan to build 200 new housing units in “Metsad settlement” and 100 housing units in “Ebi Hanhal settlement” near Bethlehem. The District Planning and Construction Committee also decided to submit a scheme for the Modi’in settlement in Ramallah Governorate in the West Bank that was built on 50,000 donums, and 89,000 settlers live there in 23,000 units now, where 43,00 new housing units will be added.
According to the new plan prepared by the Israeli ministries, institutions and settlement associations, the population of the settlement will be doubled several times. In addition to the housing units, the plan includes the construction of a huge commercial center, a medical center, academic center, a railway, and roads. Three years ago, the District Planning and Building Committee in the Central Brigade of the so-called Israeli Planning Department, it approved a plan to build 4,200 new housing units in Modi’in, of which 1,050 small housing units for young couples and commercial and industrial areas with an area of 23,000m2, on an area of 1140 donums to the west of road n 3. In the Palestinian Valley, settlers began to establish a new outpost on the land threatened with confiscation, where settlers raised the Israeli flag on a flagpole.
Moreover, the Israeli Occupation Authorities confiscated large areas of land in the Derestia village west of Salfit, and Kafr Laqf village east of Qalqilya to build settlement units, they decided to build 120 settlement units in the basin “19” and basin “4” of Derestia and Kafr Laqf villages, the owners of the seized land have given an objection period of 60 days. In Bethlehem, Israeli occupying forces razed lands of al-Makhour area northwest of Beit Jala to build an underground tunnel that connects Jerusalem to Gush Etzion settlement by approximately one km to expand road n 60.
According to estimates, Israel has established scores of settlements around Jerusalem and built at least 55,000 housing units there since 1967, and in 2017 – 2018, following Trump’s won the US presidential election, there has been a dramatic rise in construction in the occupied city, where 1861 new housing units were approved, an increased by 58% compared to 2015 and 2016 in light of the wide variation in the building permits granted to Jerusalemites, who form 38% of the total population of Jerusalem. Only 16.5% of all building permits were approved by the Planning and Building Committee affiliated to the Israeli government in the towns and neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, as part of the occupation’s efforts to judaize the city, Israeli FM, Yisrael Katz plans to raise funds for foreign countries to encourage them move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The donations are expected to come from Jewish and other donors from around the world. According to some sources, the Attorney General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved the initiative and demands to have it as a government decision, pointing out that Katz’s goal is to move as many embassies as possible to Jerusalem. Donations were likely to be raised during Israel’s 70th anniversary celebrations. Moreover, the pro-Likud Yisrael Haiom newspaper, and PM Netanyahu unveiled a plan by Katz late last month to ask the government to finance embassies transfers.
A list of Assaults over the Last Week, Documented by the National Bureau
Jeruslaem:
- A Palestinian demolishes his own house in Wad Qaddoum neighborhood of Silwan town in Jerusalem in order to avoid the high cost of demolition if the occupation did so.
- Attacking Red Crescent ambulance and citizens ‘vehicles near Jaba’ bridge east of Jerusalem.
Heborn:
- A group of settlers returned to a building near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron after the Civil Administration decided last week that they own half of it. The conflict has been going on since 2012, when 15 Jewish families seized it, and a week later they were evacuated. The settlers’ association, “Returnees for Real Estate,” claims that they have bought the house from the heirs of the original owner, Moh’d Abu Shahla, in 2015.
Bethlehem:
- Demolishing a house and a restaurant in al-Makhour area in the northwest of Beit Jala in Bethlehem Governorate under the pretext of not having a license.
- Storming Al-Walaja village and handing over demolition orders of houses under the pretext of not having licenses.
Ramallah:
- Attacking Palestinian’s vehicles near Ein Ayoub Junction in Ras Karkar village, west of Ramallah.
Storming ‘Ein Boubin and Deir Bzeih villages, west of Ramallah, considered them closed military areas. - Closing the main road in Deir Bzeih, the so-called “Grape Aarea”, which is used daily by approximately 60,000 people from villages west of Ramallah?
Nablus:
Attacking Palestinian vehicles at Huwara checkpoint and Burin Junction, smashed them.
Salfeet:
- Storming the eastern side of Rafat village as well as attacking Palestinian houses and their vehicles.
- Storming Kafel Haris village to perform prayers at Joshua Ben-Nun tomb, stealing stones and pillars of the ancient monastery of Deir Simeon.
Jordan valley:
- Destroying water lines in Bardala village in the northern Jordan Valley
- Handing over a threat to remove a fence belonging to Al-Tahdi school (10) northeast of Tubas.
