المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
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By: Madeeha Araj,
The Israeli Deputy Army Minister , Eli Ben Dahan along with the Commander of the Central Area of the Occupation Army, Roni Noma and the Settlements Council Head, Hananal Dorni as well as representatives of settlers in the occupied territories put forward the”Kisht Yonatan,” i.e. army’s security plan through which the army seeks to improve security of the settlers, using advanced technology based on security structures. It also includes the construction of new bypass roads in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, as well as improving and fortifying the existing ones. Dahan also briefed the settlers’ leaders on the streets and roads that the army has started to open including “the heart of the West Bank Street,” that surrounds Aroub town, and other streets around Howara, south of Nablus, and another in Qalandiya. This is the first time that a comprehensive strategic plan has been presented to improve the lives of settlers in the occupied West Bank, explaining that this ideas are recommended by the Minister of the Occupation Army, Lieberman.
At the same time, Israeli Occupation Army, Lieberman approved the building of 2270 new housing units to expand West Bank settlements, including tenders to market land for the construction of 900 new housing units in the Ariel settlement. Moreover, the Supreme Council of Civil Administration intends to hold a session soon, through which it grants the necessary permits for the construction of additional 225 housing units in other settlements, as well as the approval of plans to build about 1145 new housing units in various settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Lieberman also announced his ministry’s intention to approve plans to build thousands of settlement units throughout the West Bank. Lieberman’s office said the so-called Supreme Planning Council of the Civil Administration, the civilian arm of the occupation forces in the West Bank, plans to build thousands of new settlement units in the West Bank. In a statement issued by Lieberman’s office, he instructed the Supreme Planning Council of the Civil Administration to approve new plans for the construction and marketing of new settlement units throughout the West Bank..
It is reported that during the last meeting of the Supreme Planning Council in the last Oct., the council approved the construction of the Amihai settlement instead of the evacuated outpost of Amona, and the Hikk settlement instead of the Migron settlement outpost.
It has become clear that the appetite of the leaders of the ruling right in the occupation government has widened more and more after Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and issued instructions to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which gave it a great momentum to pass its settlement projects. The first was the vote of the center of the Likud party led by Israeli PM, Netanyahu in favor of a draft resolution calling for the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over all the settlements on the occupied West Bank, and to allow construction, and impose the Israeli laws over the entire settlement area in “Judea and Samaria.” The Knesset also approved the draft of the “unified Jerusalem” law in the second and third readings, which prohibits the transfer of parts of occupied Jerusalem in any future settlement without the approval of 80 Knesset members. The law provides that any change in the status of Jerusalem or handing over land from the city as part of a political agreement.
In a tweet on his Twitter account, the Likud Knesset Speaker, Yuli Edelstein asked Trump not to hesitate to support the draft judaization plan, which was opposed by all previous US administrations, to connect Jerusalem with the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim. Adding that we should exploit Trump’s decision and to intensify all steps to complete the Judaization of the city and its surrounding.
Within the context, the Israeli Minister of Justice, Eyalit Shaked announced that as of the next week, she will receive different views on government proposals that will be soon presented to the Ministerial Committee on Legislation. She also said that she was working on the implementation of the Government’s policy to make life in the Judea and Samaria normal, referring to settlements in the West Bank, adding we are there, there is no State under occupation that demands for independence.
The Dolschtein tweets showed that there is an Israeli intention to link the holy city with Ma’aleh Adumim, in a project named E1. The Ministry of Housing in the Israeli occupation government revealed a package of expansion projects to be implemented in the Ariel settlement, which includes hundreds of settlement units in order to increase the number of settlers, expand the university’s facilities, develop new public parks, and building a new stadium. Moreover, he discussed the strategic importance of the Ariel settlement for the Occupying State as it is as a geographical extension between the center of the country and the Jordan Valley.
The National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements warned of the repercussions of this policy and considered those measures as a creeping annexation policy that creates apartheid regime. The Bureau asserted that imposing the Israeli law to ban any withdrawal from Jerusalem by a two-thirds majority of Knesset members, intensify settlements and enact settler support laws, are part of the Israeli government’s efforts to annex most of the West Bank to Israel.
A list of Assaults Documented by the National Bureau by Israeli Occupation and Settlers over the last week:
Jerusalem:
- Demolishing livestock corral located behind the Ein Silwan Mosque in the Wadi Hilweh Neighborhood of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Cutting down and uprooted trees in the area.
- Destroying sanitary facilities store belonging to Abdul Moh’d Abu Hadwan under the pretext of being “public utility”. Destroying the locks of the store, stealing its contents.
- Demolishing a house belonging to the citizen, Imad Ayyad, “Iskan Nusseibeh” in the Beit Hanina neighbourhood under the pretext of being unlicensed.
- Celebrating a Talmudic marriage ceremonies for a settler, supervised by a group of rabbis near the Mercy Gate between the Asbat Gate and the Marwani Mosque inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Submitting a plan to establish an international airport on the outskirts of the city of Jericho, including hotels to be built on the territory of the Prophet Mosa, known as Buqai’a, besides the construction of industrial areas, railway, and the central train station in order to enhance the settlers presence in the Jordan Valley and the Palestinian Bedouin areas.
- Trying to evacuate a Palestinian Somarin family from their home in the Silwan neighbourhood of Jerusalem. There are currently 18 of the family members living in the house, including 6 children.
Ramallah:
- Seizing agricultural land belonging to a Palestinian citizen, Moh’d Tamimi, in the Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah.
- Shutting down the entrances of the Deir Nizam village, northwest of Ramallah, breaking and searching some houses.
- Threatening residents of the villages of Deir Qudis and Kharbatha Bani Harith, west of Ramallah to close the main roads in their villages.
Bethlehem:
- Notifying people to demolish their houses in the Beit Fajar town, south of Bethlehem.
- Seizing a caravan belonging to Mustafa Abu Amous in the Khader village, south of Bethlehem, it was used as a store for agricultural equipment.
Nablus:
- Conducting military exercises using live ammunition in the land of Khirbet Tawil, near the Aqraba town, south of Nablus, declaring the town as a closed military area. The exercises took place on a cultivated land with an area of more than 3,500 dunums, destroying their crops.
Salfeet:
- Revealing a package of expansion projects to be implemented in the settlement “Ariel”, which includes hundreds of settlement units, in order to increase the number of settlers, and expansion of university facilities, and the development of new public parks.
Jenin:
- Carrying out military trainings on “Arraba” station south of Jenin, adjacent to Jenin – Nablus St. Israeli infantry forces were deployed between the olive fields and on the main st.
- Seizing 5 commercial caravans at the Jalameh crossing northeast of Jenin, used to sell food, beverages and vegetables to workers and citizens.
Qalqilia:
- Preventing the Kafr Tholth Municipality workers from paving part of the road linking the town with other neighbourhoods. Municipality spokesman, Zaki Omar said that the municipality started the maintenance work of the road in C area, but they were surprised by the occupation forces’ decision to prevent them from doing so.
