The so-called Israeli settlement council announced, on Sunday, a new illegal colonial settlement project, in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.
Director of the office of the Segregation Wall and Colonization Resistance Commission in Bethlehem city, Hasan Burejiya, confirmed that the Israeli settlement council is set to construct 164 housing units in the illegal settlement of Neve Daniel, south of Bethlehem.
Burejiya told media outlets that based on Israeli media sources, the planned new construction is aimed at expanding the aforementioned colony, by adding new settlement units, by expropriating Palestinian-owned lands of both Al-Khader and Nahalin towns.
He added that the expansion would grab tens of acres of Palestinian-owned farm lands.
The Palestinian official also noted that Israel has recently embarked on an illegal settlement project, called ‘Greater Jerusalem’, which is aimed at expanding the boundaries of the already-occupied East Jerusalem, adjacent to Bethlehem.
He noted that over the past several weeks, Israeli colonist settlers have been storming vast areas of Palestinian farm lands, nearby, under the protection of Israeli troops.
“Israeli occupation authorities, have recently delivered evacuation warrants to a number of local residents and farmers, apparently ahead of planned annexation and expansion,” Burejiya was quoted as saying.
Noteworthy, Israel has officially postponed the annexation of nearly 30 percent of the occupied West Bank, given Palestinian, Arab and international pressure. Yet, Israeli officials have signalled their determination to ago ahead with the annexation plan.
International law states that Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands are illegal, and United Nations resolutions demand that Israel must dismantle all settlements, across the occupied territories.
The long-envisioned two state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state, has been the collective hope for a just solution to the conflict.
There are more than 600,000 illegal colonists living among more than 3 million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army ensures the full protection of the illegal colonists in Palestinian West Bank cities, towns and villages.
