Israel To Build 3,300 Illegal Settlement Units In The West Bank
JAKARTA - Israel in the next two weeks will approve the construction of more than 3,300 illegal settlement units in the occupied West Bank region.The relevant “Committee is expected to meet within two weeks to approve the establishment of 2,350 housing units in Maaleh Adumim settlements, about 300 units in Kedar settlements, and 700 units in Ethnic settlements,” Israel Broadcasting Corporation said in its report on Friday, as reported by Anadolu.The decision was taken in response to the shooting near the Maaleh Adumim settlement on Thursday which resulted in the death of an Israeli soldier and injuring at least eight other people.The “One road section to the Al-Za’im checkpoint in the eastern part of East Jerusalem will be closed to Palestinians for at least two weeks, the media said.If approved, the settlement project will be the largest settlement development decision since Israel's war in Gaza erupted on October 7, 2023.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is known to strongly support the construction of settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.Estimates suggest about 700.000 Israeli settlers live in some 300 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.In fact, all Jewish settlements in occupied areas are considered illegal according to international law.
Tensions have risen in the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military attack on the Gaza Strip, following attacks by Palestinian fighters group Hamas on October 7.More than 400 Palestinians have been killed and another 4,400 injured in Israeli attacks on occupied territories, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.