Israel advanced plans for about 2,700 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, ending a two-day session that pushed forwards about 5,000 new settlements. This came as the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, overwhelmingly approved the normalization deal with the UAE, an agreement that was once rumored to include a settlement freeze.
According to The Times of Israel, plans for 4,948 settler homes were advanced by Israel’s Civil Administration’s High Planning Subcommittee. With 2,688 homes approved for final construction and 2,260 approved for earlier stages of planning. Several hundred of the homes were already constructed and were approved retroactively.
The approvals brought the total number of settler homes advanced this year to 12,159, a record number according to the Israeli NGO Peace Now. The NGO said the number is the highest since President Trump took office in 2017, surpassing last year’s numbers by 4,000. It’s the most settlements advanced since Peace Now began recording in 2012.
The committee usually meets four times a year but did not convene for about seven months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Peace Now said the committee is expected to meet again before the year is over.
Settler leaders were unhappy with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to annex portions of the West Bank allocated to Israel in President Trump’s “Vision for Peace.” But the new settlement approvals indicate that while unilateral annexation is off the table for now, the slower, more politically viable approach will continue.
“While de jure annexation may be suspended, the de facto annexation of settlement expansion is clearly continuing,” Peace Now said. Settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and were considered illegal by the US until the Trump administration reversed the decades-old policy in 2019.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Israel ramped up demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year.
No problem. They will still get those shiny new F-35’s.
A survey, by James Zogby at the U.S.-based Zogby Research Services,
was conducted among 3,600 Arabs from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates, Jordan and the Palestinian territories from the period
spanning June 24 and July 5 — a month before the normalization deals
between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain were announced.
Some 59 percent of Jordanians and Saudis, along with 58 percent of
Egyptians and 56 percent of respondents in the UAE said they support the
normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab world, citing
regional stability and economic prosperity.
What was the % from the Palestinian territories? You left that out.
Conveniently. Purposely.
Donno, it’s irrelevant anyway.
Then at least post a link.
Your comment is totally irrelevant to the article.
Propaganda BS…..
This land was your land, this land is my land, from Ras al Amud, to the Golan highlands, from the Gaza beaches, to the Haifa de-es-ert… this land’s for Jews exclusiveleeee… all sing along !
Jews have lived in Palestine for thousands of years. Palestinians ethnically cleansed Gaza of its Jews in 1929 and the West Bank & East Jerusalem of their Jews in 1948. Why is it illegal for Jews to rebuild their homes in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem?
and the so called “civilized” world stands by and does…….NOTHING.
Israel is allowed to compete in the European soccer competition (UEFA) and to host the European Song Festival in Tel Aviv no less. And nobody has the backbone and intestinal fortitude to stand up and question this. Scandalous.
Is there no shame? 5000 new settlements and the silence in the international community is deafening. Nazi Germany would have been proud.