Israeli sources reported Sunday that a number of Israeli soldiers and officers, who live in West Bank settlements, leaked army plans to enforce the temporary freeze of settlement construction in the occupied territories. The leaked memo includes details on observing settlement freeze, removing illegal structures and removing a number of smaller settlement outposts. It also includes information on army units that would be in charge of implementing the settlement freeze.
Israeli online daily, Haaretz, published on Sunday the leaked memo, and said that it includes raids by the Israeli Special Forces and aerial surveillance to enforce the 10-month freeze.
Haaretz added that the Israeli Army said that there are no activities planned to enforce the freeze, and that the so-called Civil Administration Office, under the control of the military in the occupied territories, and the Central Command of the Israeli Army, use privately owned planes to take aerial photos.
The army added that the Special Forces are meant “to counter terror”, and not to clash with Israeli civilians, and that only the Police and Border Police Units are the authorities that deal with Israeli civilians.
Israeli Public Security Minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, also confirmed that there are no arrangements to deploy Special Forces, Haaretz said.
This “freeze” Israel is talking about does not include Jerusalem and constructions on Palestinian lands that became isolated behind the Annexation Wall.
The Israeli government started the construction of hundreds of units by expanding settlements on Palestinian orchards and lands isolated behind the Wall.
Thousands of Acres of Palestinians lands, planted with Olive trees in Qalqilia district in the northern part of the West Bank, became isolated behind the Wall and the Palestinian villagers are not allowed access to them.
Israel is currently planning to expand the Oranit settlement by annexing Palestinian-own orchards isolated behind the Wall.
The case of Qalqilia is similar to dozens of cases of illegal land grab conducted by Israel against Palestinian orchards in the occupied West Bank, and in occupied East Jerusalem.
