The Israeli Public Radio confirmed, on Tuesday, that the occupation government will approve next week the construction of 4,570 settlement units in the West Bank and Jerusalem. This came in confirmation of what was published by the “Axios” website, that the occupation informed the Joe Biden administration in this regard.
The radio indicated that 1,332 settlement units will obtain approval to enter the final stages of work, while another 3,238 settlement units will obtain approval to enter the plans-drawing procedures, and the final approval will be ready after that.
It added that the number of settlement units that have been approved since Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich assumed responsibility for the Civil Administration, six months ago, exceeds what is approved in a full year, and this is happening for the first time.
It also explained that the settlement units that will receive final approval are distributed over settlements extending from Jerusalem to the north and south of the West Bank. These are: “Modi’in Gardez” and “Beitar Illit” in Jerusalem, and “Gush Etzion” built between Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron, and “Ma’ale Adumim” built on the lands of Abu Dis and Al-Eizariya near Jerusalem, and “Givat Ze’ev” built on the lands of Al-Bireh. And Neveh Zuf, built on the lands of Ramallah.
The settlement construction also includes the settlement of “Mafo Dotan” established near Araba and Ya’bad, “Harmish” established north of Tulkarm, “Al-Kana” established on the lands of the village of Masha, and “Rababa” established on the lands of the villages of Haris, Deir Istiya, and Qarawat Bani Hassan in Salfit Governorate. Karniyeh Shomron built between Qalqilya and Salfit, Karmiel and Kiryat Arba built in Hebron, and Adoraim and Telem built northwest of Hebron.
The announcement of this massive settlement construction constitutes an explicit Israeli violation of the understandings of the Aqaba (late February) and Sharm el-Sheikh (late March) summits, which brought together the Palestinian Authority, the occupation, the United States, Egypt and Jordan, where the Aqaba summit included Israel’s commitment to freezing settlements from three to six months. , while the Sharm el-Sheikh summit included a settlement freeze for four months.
