B’Tselem report: `“Wall route planned to enable settlement expansion`

The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem, reported that the expansion of settlements in the West Bank has been a primary consideration in setting the route of many sections of the Separation Wall, regardless of “security needs”.

A report prepared by B’Tselem and Bimkom (Planner for Human Rights), commenting on a ruling by the Israeli High Court, on Thursday, and said that the Wall around Alfe Menashe settlement in the West Bank aims to include the settlement on the “Israeli side”, and is not based on security consideration as Israel claims.

“Under the Guise of Security, is in contrary to the state’s claim that the Wall’s route is based solely on security reasons, the main consideration in setting the route in some locations in the West Bank was to include on the ‘Israeli’ side of the Barrier areas which are slated for settlements expansion”, B’Tselem reported, “In some cases, the expansion is only made in order to establish new settlements”.

The report showed that the “desire for settlement expansion” lead to a significant increase in the violations of the human rights of the Palestinian residents, adding that some expansions of settlements were done in spite that they compromise the  security of Israel.

Also, the report provides a detained analysis of the expansion of four West Bank settlements; Zufin, Alfe Menashe, Modi’in Illit, and Geva Benyamin (Adam)-Neve Ya’akov, in addition to the connection between the plans and the route of the Separation Wall.

The report also arrived to the conclusion that in eight other cases, settlement expansion affected the route of the Seperation Wall, especially in Rehan, Sal’it, Oranit, Ofarim, Ari’el, Qedumim, Gevaot, and Eshkolot.