Israel today approved the construction of nearly 4,500 homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a Palestinian state occupied by the Jewish state since 1967, of which more than 2,700 received final approval, according to the Israeli organization Now Peace. (Peace Now).
Specifically, the approval concerns the construction of 4,427 houses in the occupied West Bank. A total of 2,791 homes received the final green light from the Civil Administration planning committee, while 1,636 received a preliminary permit, according to Peace Now.
All Jewish settlements are illegal under international law. Also, the “arbitrary” Jewish settlements are considered illegal by Israel, because they were built without the permission of the Israeli authorities.
However, three “arbitrary” Jewish settlements are expected to receive approval from the authorities, the source said.
Today, nearly 475,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, home to 2.9 million Palestinians.
Israeli settlement activity, illegal under international law, has continued over all Israeli governments since 1967.
It has accelerated in recent years under the push of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The successor to Naftali Bennett, the former leader of a settlement organization, has led a diverse coalition since June 2021 that includes the radical right and left-wing parties.
Interior Minister Agelet Saked, a close aide to the prime minister, wrote on Twitter today that it was “a day of celebration for the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria,” a term used by Israeli authorities to refer to the West Bank.
“This is bad news for Israel and this will strengthen the occupation, making a future peace even more difficult to achieve,” said Hagit Oran, of the Peace Now organization, which is closely monitoring the development of Israeli settlements. activity.
“It is disappointing that this government, which has promised change, is pursuing similar policies to the Netanyahu government,” he added.
Last week, Washington denounced the plan. “The Biden administration has been clear since the beginning: we strongly oppose the expansion of settlements, which is exacerbating tensions and weakening trust between the parties,” said Jalina Porter, a spokeswoman for the State Department.
The approval of the construction of new houses is announced the day after the death of the journalist Sirin Abu Akleh, of the Al Jazeera network, who was killed in the West Bank while covering an Israeli raid in the city of Jenin (north). The announcement of her death caused grief and a wave of condemnation. Thousands of Palestinians paid their last respects to her today in Ramallah.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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