‘New major settlement projects’ Revive Again in Occupied Jerusalem

By: Madeeha Al-A’raj

The National Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements ( nbprs ) stated in its latest weekly report , that settlement in area E1 is still on the Israeli agenda as it aims to link occupied Jerusalem with a number of settlements, such as, Ma’ale Adumim, and to bring about what it calls “Greater Jerusalem” that constitutes 10% of the area of the West Bank, which eliminates any possibility of establishing a contiguous Palestinian State after suspending the plan to divide the West Bank into 2 parts at the beginning of the year amid international pressures and a pledge to the United States that the occupying power would not go ahead with the project.
The Jerusalem municipality again put on the agenda for a meeting scheduled for next July, the construction project in E1, where they intend to research construction and settlement expansion in the region. The so-called Civil Administration of the Occupation Army has announced that a session will be set for next July 18, in which the discussion of the settlement projects that obtained the initial approval will be on its agenda. Its announcement comes in response to the petition of the “Ma’ale Adumim” settlement to the Israeli Supreme Court, following the freezing of settlement expansion and construction and the suspension of the construction plan in the settlement under the -dir-ection of the Israeli government.
Knowing that the planned area for settlement construction is 12,000 dunums, where about 3,500 settlement units are to be built. It is known that this area is near the settlement of ‘Ma ale Adumim’ between the north and south of the West Bank, which prevents any Palestinian geographic contiguity between the north and south of the West Bank. Noteworthy that a project for settlement expansion in the E1 area was approved for the first time by the Netanyahu’s Government in 2012, but the project was suspended and frozen for 8 years under American and international pressures.
At the same time, the military rule in Beit El announced the confiscation of an area of 54 dunums of the lands of the Al-Tur village for the benefit of the settlement street called “Al-Touq Street no. 4585”, known as the "American Street", which link a group of settlements surrounding the occupied city, and it is an extension of the street that connects the settlements located in the southeastern part with the northern settlements.
Thus, the right-wing government led by Naftali Bennett, is working to advance many settlement projects, network settlements, and increase their influence and expansion at the expense of the Palestinian territories. The detailed plans for the street after the confiscation of 1,070 dunums of the lands of the villages of “Sur Baher, Abu Dis, Al-Tur, and Anata, knowing that the occupation municipality in Jerusalem began publishing full information about it within detailed plans and put the mentioned huge budget for it. From bridges over Wadi Al-Nar south of occupied Jerusalem, and aims to establish industrial barriers that prevent the development of Palestinian villages and restrict their natural growth, after they were placed between the jaws of the settlements and bypass roads. Road no. 1 linking the settlement of ‘Ma ale Adumim’ with Jerusalem, and the other 2 tunnels are located in Abu Dis lands with a length of 200m, which was planned when Sharon was Minister Construction and housing under Netanyahu, and in 1999 was adopted by the Regional Committee for Building and Planning during Barak s era.

In Jerusalem as well, the so-called “Local Committee for Planning and Building” approved a project to build 820 new settlement units as part of the construction plan in two areas south of the Old City of occupied Jerusalem. The project will be implemented in its first part by building 130 settlement units in the Ottoman - Revolutionary train station - and the second 490 units along the Green Line - Al Walaja - Qatamon within the plan to erase the Green Line separating the 48 lands and the West Bank in favor of expanding settlements in the south of the city.
According to the project, the demolition of the train building will be includd, with the aim of constructing 30 apartments and constructing two new buildings of 10 and 18 floors comprising 130 new settlement apartments, as part of a major project that has been underway for 4 years, in the neighborhoods of Katamon. This week the demolition of an old apartment building on San Martin Street, as part of an eviction-construction and demolition project has begun.

List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
• A provocative march on Bab al-Wad Road in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
• Storming Bab al-Asbat area, performed Talmudic prayers, chanted racist slogans and raised the flags of the extremist terrorist "Kach" movement, and the criminal organization "Lahava", under the protection of Israeli occupation police.
• Attacking the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, smashing citizens vehicles, throwing stones at their homes, and shooting live bullets at them.
• Closing Bab al-Sahira and al-Masara neighborhood on Salah al-Din Street, and attacked a group of Palestinians who raised the Palestinian flag, among them an elderly man
Hebron:
• Attacking children in the Old City, fired live bullets, sound bombs and poisonous tear gas extensively towards the citizens and their homes.
• A march of violence and arrogance that started from the settlement of "Kiryat Arba", during which they raised the flags of the occupying state, and chanted "Death to Arabs under the protection of the occupation army."
• Demolishing 2 homes in Masafer Yatta, under the pretext of building without a permit, a residential room and a water well and notified the demolition of a baraks in the Baqa’a area, northeast of Hebron, and 9 residential tents and a sheep tent in the Markaz and Fakhit communities in Masafer Yatta.
• Dozens of civilians were injured by bullets and suffocated with tear gas after clashes with the occupation forces in the Halhul town.
Bethlehem:
• Closing the main Al-Quds-Hebron road near the junction leading to the "Efrat" settlement, south of Bethlehem, raised Israeli flags and chanted racist slogans against the Palestinians.
• Storming the Tuqu town, east of Bethlehem, and stationed at the western entrance in the vicinity of the municipality.
Salfeet:
• Ten notices to stop work and construction were delivered to houses and facilities in the village of Marda, north of Salfit, on the pretext that they are located in areas C. Noting that 6 houses whose owners were issued notices were inhabited, and were built in 1995 and their owners have building permits and are located in areas B.
Jenin:
• Attacking citizen Samir Tawfiq Abdel Nasser Abu Bakr 65, while working on his land in Yabad, they also attacked a citizen s vehicle, in the Amreha neighborhood, southwest of Jenin.
Jordan Valley:
• Seizing an agricultural tractor in the Umm Al-Kbeish area, east of the town of Tamoun
• Invading Ras al-Ahmar area in the northern Jordan Valley, and searched a number of tents.
• Seizing agricultural tractors and special vehicles in several areas in the northern Jordan Valley
• Razing operations carried out by settlers in the Al Farisiya area, in preparation for the establishment of a “religious school” affiliated to the nearby “Givat Sel’it” settlement.

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