Be'Tselem: settlement expansion has increased in the past years

Thursday September 11, 2008 10:42 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

The Israeli center for human rights in the occupied territories (Betselem), reported that Israel has annexed tens of thousands of dunums of Palestinian-owned lands to Israeli settlements, east of the separation barrier in the West Bank, over the past few years.

an Israeli settlement bloc/ archive photo

The Be'Tselem's report revealed that the settlement expansion has been inconsistent with the law, as many of the annexations have been completed by military orders.

Most of those badly damaged people have been Palestinian farmers as they have been deprived of farming or reaching their farm lands, the report hinted.

Israeli settlements building or expansion are still going on in the occupied Palestinian territories, mainly in the West Bank and in east Jerusalem. Israel insists on keeping these settlement blocs, though the international law describes them illegal.

Also, Israeli settlements constitute a stumbling block for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, as they would derogate borders of future Palestinian state.

israel | israeli settlement | news report rami at imemc dot org