Hassan Brijieh, Director of the Anti-Wall and Settlement Authority in the Bethlehem Governorate, said that the so-called Supreme Council of Settlement in the so-called "Israeli Civil Administration" announced its approval of the seizure of about 50 dunums of land. Husan and Nahalin, and work to change its agricultural nature in favor of the "Beitar Illit" settlement, which is built on citizens´ lands west of Bethlehem.
Brijieh clarified that the targeted lands are Basins 3 and 4 in the Mersia area and Khirbet al-Kabra from Husan lands, and Basin 3, known as the Ould Abu Al-Hamra site, from the lands of Husan village.
The confiscation decision stated that these lands will be converted into public places, roads and residential facilities, indicating that the decision is dangerous and confirms that the occupying authorities will continue to confiscate more citizens ´lands for the benefit of this settlement, which is continuously expanding at the expense of the citizens´ lands in the villages of Husan, Nahhalin, Al Jab´a and Wadi Fukin. .
It is noteworthy that the occupation authorities had begun establishing this settlement in 1985 of the last century on an area of ​​more than 4,500 dunums, and was expanding southwest of the city of Bethlehem, which is one of the largest settlements of the occupation established on the lands of the West Bank. Israel, to become part of the so-called "Greater Jerusalem" scheme, with an estimated population of 100,000 settlers.
Settlement of religious Jews
According to settlement experts, the settlement of "Betar Illit" is located within the huge settlement bloc established in the southwestern part of Bethlehem.
This settlement bloc consists of 14 Israeli settlements, the largest of which is Betar Illit, which is a settlement of religious Jews.
Brijieh explained that settlement expansion in "Beitar Illit" is taking place in a very large way, at the expense of lands that were confiscated from the villages of Wadi Fukin, Nahhalin and Husan.
He pointed out that the expansion of these Israeli settlements in this area is part of the Israeli policy in the creeping annexation process within what is called "Greater Jerusalem" according to the Israeli concept, which includes this block, or the annexation of settlement blocs within the Israeli borders, on Considering that construction in this area is taking place near the Green Line.
