Israel prepares plans for settlements in 100 locations including Palestinian territory

JAKARTA - Israeli settler groups have prepared plans to seize 100 strategic locations in Area A of the occupied West Bank and are managed by the Palestinian Authority, according to media reports on Monday.

Israeli newspaper Hayom reported the plan, prepared by the Settlers' Agricultural Association and the Havat Forum (Agriculture), aims to fundamentally change the map of the occupied territory.

The proposal outlines a mechanism to deploy troops to around 100 strategic locations in the West Bank on what it describes as "execution day," the report said.

The locations are reportedly in Area A, which, under the 1995 Oslo II Agreement, is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority, Anadolu (30/6) reported.

The newspaper said the plan had been presented to Israeli government ministers and figures close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and was said to cover Palestinian cities.

Muayyad Shaaban, president of the Anti-Wall and Settlement Committee affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), described the proposal as a dangerous step in the annexation of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

He argued that it reflected a broader policy being carried out under Israel's right-wing government, not an independent initiative by the illegal settler group.

Israeli soldiers carry out near-daily raids in towns and villages across the West Bank, often involving arrests, on-the-spot interrogations and house searches.

To note, attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since October 2023 have killed more than 1,173 Palestinians, injured 12,666, and led to the arrest of around 23,000 people, according to Palestinian data.