Israeli “Housing and Construction Minister,” Yuav Galant, stated that his ministry and the government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, have presented plans for expanding Ariel illegal colony, built on Palestinian lands, near Salfit, in the occupied West Bank.
The plan aims at building hundreds of units in Ariel, in addition to creating new public gardens, expanding Ariel University, and building a stadium, in addition to what they called “developing Ariel.”
His announcement came after visiting the colony, on Tuesday, when he said that Ariel holds a very important strategic position, and what he called “the prominent geographical contiguity between central West Bank, and the Jordan Valley.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Encouraged by the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, and his illegal recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israel, also in direct violation of various treaties and resolutions, the Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, has been rapidly pushing plans for building and expanding colonies in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
On Sunday, December 31, 2017, Netanyahu and his government met and voted unanimously in favor of a resolution that effectively annexes the Israeli colonial settlements constructed on illegally-seized Palestinian lands.
During the discussion before the vote, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told the Likud Central Committee, “The time has come to express our Biblical right to the land.”
Erdan then referenced the U.S. President’s December 6th declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying that the Israeli government should take advantage of this opportunity to seize permanent control of the land.
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