Israel Will Make A New Settlement Of 60 Hectares In The West Bank

Israel's occupation settlement in the West Bank near Za'atara/PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons/Ralf Roletschek

JAKARTA - Israel announced plans for one of the proposed new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The announcement made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was made a day before plans for a new peace negotiations in Gaza.

The right-wing minister said the move was a response to Palestinian leadership actions in the West Bank and countries that have recognized Palestinian countries.

"There is no anti-Israeli or anti-Zionist decision that will stop settlement development. We will continue to fight against dangerous ideas about the Palestinian state. This is my life's mission," Smotrich said.

Most UN member states consider the settlements built in the West Bank and other regions captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal under international law.

Israel denies this, citing historical ties and the alkitabiah of Jews to the land.

Israel announced in June that it would legalize five outposts in the West Bank, build three new settlements, and confiscate most of the land where Palestinians seek to establish an independent state, thereby further fueling the anger of Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited authority over the West Bank under Israeli military occupation, reaffirms the construction of settlements and demolition of Palestinian homes is a ethnic cleaning'.

In May, Spain, Ireland and Norway joined the majority of UN countries that have recognized Palestinian countries.

The countries affirm the creation of Palestinian states as the only way to ensure lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.

Israel denounced their actions for strengthening Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, and denounced the Palestinian Authority for supporting an international case accusing it of genocide, a charge Israel denies firmly.

A new 60-hectare settlement called Nachal Heletz will be part of the Gush Etzion settlement group. It will connect the area with nearby Jerusalem, Smotrich, who leads the pro-communication party and also a settlers.

Peace Now, Israel's NGO, said Smotrich continued to promote de facto annexation, ignoring the UNESCO Convention signed by Israel, and we will all suffer the consequences.

The Gaza war threatened to spread to regional conflicts involving Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel is preparing for a significant Iranian and Hezbollah attack following the assassination of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and a Hamas political leader in Tehran.

Few progress has been made in achieving Palestinian state status since the signing of the Oslo Agreement in the early 1990s.