The Applied Research Institute "ARIJ" revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities intend to build 1406 settlement units in the northern West Bank.
A report issued by the institute said that this came after the Israeli Ministry of Interior published an announcement issued by the Higher Planning Council of the so-called Israeli Civil Administration on January 22, 2020, regarding the deposit of a new settlement plan, which stipulates the confiscation of 1008 dunums of land. Azzun Palestinian village in the Qalqilya governorate, in favor of settlement construction.
The new settlement plan, which bears the number יוש / 13/8/115, includes the construction of 1406 new settlement units in the southeast of the Alfei Menashe settlement, in Basin No. 2 in the areas known as Wadi Asla, Dhahr al-Manaf, Qatayin al-Sahl and al-Mafraq.
It is worth noting that during the past years, specifically in 2017, the occupation authorities began preparing the infrastructure for the targeted site, by leveling lands and constructing internal roads to facilitate the work of contracting companies for the settlement project later.
The "Fei Menashe" settlement is located on the western side of the separation and expansion wall, in the area that has become known among Palestinians as the "Western Isolation Zone," and the isolated area between the armistice line of 1949 and the path of the Israeli separation wall.
The report said that the construction and expansion plan for "Alfai Menashe" settlement is one of dozens of settlement plans announced by the "Israeli Civil Administration" for construction in Israeli settlements during the year 2020.
In an analysis made by the Institute for Applied Research (ARIJ) of the Israeli settlement plans issued during the year 2020, which numbered 82 settlement plans (excluding settlement plans in occupied East Jerusalem), the Israeli occupation state intends to build about 14,000 new settlement units in 40 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. This is in addition to a number of industrial areas, public facilities, and sewage treatment units in the Israeli settlements on an area of ​​13,000 dunums of Palestinian land surrounding these settlements.
The "Alfie Menasheh" settlement is located southeast of Qalqilya. The settlement was established in 1981 on lands belonging to the village of Azzun. Today, the settlement occupies a total area of ​​2904 dunums, and is inhabited by more than 8,500 Israeli settlers. Since its inception until today, Israel has not stopped issuing plans and bids for construction and expansion and the seizure of the Palestinian lands adjacent to it.
