The National Office for Land Defense and Resistance to Settlement confirmed that settlement and annexation projects continue to creep in the West Bank and Jerusalem, amid the world´s preoccupation with hot international files.
The National Office indicated in the weekly settlement report, Saturday, that the occupation government is taking advantage of the hazy position of the new American administration, which sometimes reaches the level of complicity and the world´s preoccupation with hot international files, and it is steadfastly continuing its settlement plans through the robbery of Palestinian land.
In the context of the gradual implementation of annexation plans, as defined by the liquidation project that was announced and adopted by the previous US administration with the payment of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, the occupation authorities continue to raze and uproot trees in the town of Huwara, south of Nablus, in preparation for the opening of the settlement road called "Huwara bypass", which reaches a length of about 7 km, at a cost. 300 million shekels, and 406 dunums of lands are seized from the villages and towns: Hawara, Burin, Awarta, Odla and Beta, south of Nablus, with the aim of linking the isolated settlements in the vicinity of Nablus with their outposts in what is called "Samaria Transit" and inside without passing through Palestinian population centers.
This road is considered one of several new bypass roads, such as bypassing Al-Aroub, bypassing Al-Laban Al-Gharbia, Nabi Elias, Qalandia, and others, and it is one of the most dangerous settlement projects because it strengthens settlement and transforms settlements south of Nablus from isolated settlements into cities in the body of the West Bank, and executes the establishment of a state. Palestinian geographically contiguous.
In April 2019, the occupation government published a video clip showing the main design of paving the road, which has been based for years, and falls under the so-called "stairway plan" and includes 44 plans, a number of which have been implemented.
The construction of new settlement roads is proceeding at a higher rate than construction in settlements, especially since these roads seize more Palestinian lands, in the context of the annexation plan, with the aim of linking settlement blocs, in conjunction with the escalation in settlement construction.
On its official website, the Israeli Civil Administration announced the deposit of a detailed plan that includes confiscating 1243 dunums of Ramin and Beit Lid lands, east of Tulkarm, to build settlement units for the settlement of "Annab". This plan aims to build 410 settlement units in the first phase out of 839 settlement units to expand the “Annab” settlement in the area. This confiscation of Palestinian lands in Tulkarm governorate aims to convert the land from agricultural to areas for residential use and urban expansion.
At the same time, the occupation authorities approved a decision to seize 147 dunums of lands west of Bethlehem, located in Basin (3) from the "Zohr Al-Matsaba" area of ​​the lands of the town of Nahalin, and Natural Basin No. 5 from the areas of "Khallat Al-Trant" and Sha`b Al-Besh. In the village of Husan.
This coincided with the announcement of the Planning and Building Committee in the Civil Administration of the Occupation Army and the spokeswoman for the Settlement Gathering Council, Gush Etzion, about progress in building a permanent settlement in place of the 20 mobile caravans and replacing them with 96 settlement units. Etzion, "Shlomo Naeman:" We will build our new homes and in the neighborhood that will connect us to Jerusalem and establish our religious school on our land, "he said.
He added that this settlement project was approved 20 years ago, and after this period, the land development work began to build the permanent neighborhood in the southeast of "Gush Etzion", stressing that this settlement neighborhood will receive financial, political, social and religious support from the majority in the Knesset.
He also explained that during the deliberations in the Knesset in the year 1999, a settlement nucleus was established (the discussion is about an outpost in the "Evi" settlement, southeast of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc near Bethlehem) in the same place with the support of the Israeli government inhabited by about 10 families belonging to (Preslav Hatsidek) sect, and over the years, new young families have joined, especially from the old settlements, where 50 families live in the place, and this project means that the settlement numbers are multiplied by ten.
He said that after four years of working and planning with the planning agencies and the government, in August 2019 the council received a permit for the master plan to build this settlement neighborhood and received support from the Yeshua Settlements Council.
Within a few months, planning and the necessary approvals were completed, and in the last few days the final approval came that would enable the first settlers to start building their homes. He pointed out that the settlement council in "Gush Etzion" had begun work and paving the ground for the construction of 96 settlement units in two stages; 61 units in the first phase, and 35 units in the second phase.
In the northern Palestinian valleys, the “Jordan Valley Settlements Council” began work on building 23 settlement units and expanding the “Maskiyot” settlement on the lands of Khirbet Ein al-Hilweh. And the expansion of the settlement. On November 24 of last year, the occupation government approved a request submitted by the Settlements Council that includes building these units.
In a related context, settlers began to raze lands in Khirbet al-Hama in the northern Jordan Valley, in preparation for the construction of additional settlement roads in the area. A bulldozer bulldozed lands in Khirbet al-Hama and cut through it a section of a road leading to the settlement outpost established in al-Hama, which means losing more land. Pastoralism, which constitutes a direct threat to the people´s main source of livelihood.
Draft law to legalize outposts
In order to further strengthen and legitimize settlement activity, MK Orit Struck of the religious Zionist party led by Smotrich presented a bill to regulate settlement outposts in the West Bank, which has so far been supported by 44 members of the Knesset, with the aim of organizing the settlement outposts and providing them with all necessary government support in terms of good services. Different infrastructure.
Note that the bill was submitted to the former Knesset by the Israel lobby led by Bezalel Smotrich and Haim Katz, and it was approved in the first reading just before the dissolution of the Knesset. From obtaining services that include electricity, water, internet, and municipal services, and they will receive various government aid and provide them with real estate loans, something that was not possible for more than 25,000 settlers.
Struck said that the bill enjoys a very broad consensus, and therefore it will be brought up in a short time for fast passage, regardless of the new government´s identity.
The "settler youth forum" on the settlement outposts and following up on their cases considered that the draft law is the beginning of an important and historic step to provide basic living conditions for the residents of those outposts, saying: "The time has come to stop engaging in political problems and crises, and bypass them in order to pass an important humanitarian law, especially There is a majority in the Knesset that believes in the law. "
The so-called "Yesha" settlement council in the Knesset said: "Today there is a clear right-wing majority that supports this humanitarian law, and the Knesset members must fulfill their commitment to support and solve this difficult problem."
University of "Ariel" settlement
In the context, the so-called "Ariel" settlement university began granting academic merit points to its students in exchange for their volunteering in the random outposts through the settlement organization "Hashomer Yush" (meaning the settlement guard in the West Bank). A joint publication of the university and the organization included a list of random outposts in the West Bank Which were established in the form of farms and invite students to volunteer in them.
Official sources at the settlement university stated that the volunteer work includes 50 hours of night watch and agricultural work per year.
A student advertisement published by that university, the Student Committee and Hashomer Yosh Organization last March: “Do you want to earn merit points without studying materials? Come to guard farms at nights! You spend the night happily with friends around a stove, drinking good coffee under the stars and helping Farmers. "
The advertisement directed the students to a model that includes 28 "farms", including outposts in which settlers practice terrorist attacks against Palestinians and control their lands, and it was written on the website of the University of "Ariel" settlement that the goal of volunteering in the random outposts is "to link the students with the Zionist and national mission of immediate agriculture." ".
The "Hashomer Josh" organization published a video clip in which the head of the university´s administrative committee, Mark Tseel, said that this organization is working against "those who seek to obstruct the right of the people of Israel to settle in the country and develop agriculture," and called for the organization´s support "just as we at the university support it here." .
Settler attacks escalate
On the other hand, repeated attacks and racist statements by settler terrorist organizations, such as “Paying the Price,” “Lahava,” and “Hillside Boys” on Palestinian holy sites, homes, cars and property in the occupied interior in 1948 and the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, without taking any serious steps to stop them from Before the occupation government and its security services.
According to the Red Crescent Society in Jerusalem, 105 civilians were injured. Among these injuries, the condition of 22 citizens was described as moderate. These attacks were preceded by inciting calls from settler terrorist organizations to launch a campaign of aggressive attacks on citizens in the city of Jerusalem.
An extremist group has activated the instant messaging application "WhatsApp" called "national honor", calling on young men and women from the settlers to come to the surrounding Jerusalem neighborhoods in the Old City and attack the Palestinians.
Documenting the conversations on various WhatsApp groups, including the "Let the Arabs Burn" group, shows that hundreds of members of the extremist Jewish organizations intend to participate in the attacks, and in a video clip published by the "Lahava" terrorist organization, its supporters called for a large demonstration to "preserve national honor." Downtown Jerusalem.
