The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities plan to discuss the construction of 2,006 new settlement units in two upcoming sessions of the so-called “Higher Planning Council.” The plans concern construction in eight settlements across the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem.
اضافة اعلان
According to the commission’s head, Moayad Shaaban, the first session, scheduled for November 3, will address four small-scale plans for the Givat Ze’ev settlement, built on Palestinian land belonging to Al-Jeeb village in the Jerusalem Governorate. The second session, set for November 5, will discuss major expansion plans for the settlements of Givat Ze’ev (Jerusalem), Avnei Hefetz and Enav (Tulkarm), Kfar Tapuach and Etz Efraim (Salfit), Rosh Tzurim (Bethlehem), Mitzpe Yericho (Jericho and the Jordan Valley), and Ganei Modi’in (Ramallah and Al-Bireh).
Shaaban stated that the proposed plans include the construction of three large settlement neighborhoods in Avnei Hefetz, Enav (Tulkarm), and Rosh Tzurim within the Gush Etzion bloc, established on lands in the Bethlehem area.
He explained that Israel intends to develop approximately 2,006 new housing units over an area of about 1,072 dunums of Palestinian land. Settlements such as Kfar Tapuach (Salfit), Enav and Avnei Hefetz (Tulkarm), and Mitzpe Yericho (Jericho and the Jordan Valley) are among those slated for significant expansion.
Shaaban stressed that these actions represent a direct challenge to the international community and United Nations resolutions that have condemned settlement activity. He cited UN General Assembly Resolution 10/24-S, which calls for ending Israel’s illegal occupation without delay, and UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which affirms that settlements have no legal validity, along with numerous positions by human rights and international organizations rejecting colonial expansion.
He added that following the October 7, 2023 assault on Gaza, Israeli planning bodies reviewed around 355 master plans for the construction of 37,415 settlement units over 38,551 dunums of land. Of these, 18,801 units have already been approved, while 18,614 units remain under consideration.
Shaaban noted that most of these plans are concentrated in the Jerusalem Governorate with 148 master plans (44 outside and 104 within the municipal boundaries of occupied Jerusalem), followed by Bethlehem (51 plans), Salfit (48), Ramallah and Al-Bireh (38), Qalqilya (20), and Nablus (19), among others.
