Israel publishes tenders for over 1,000 new settler units
Israel publishes tenders for over 1,000 new settler units
TEL Aviv - Israeli authorities have issued tenders for more than 1,000 new settler units in the West Bank and eastern al-Quds, amid international outcry against the Tel Aviv regime's illegal settlement expansion activities and land-grabbing policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Anti-settlement group Peace Now said in a statement on Friday that the so-called Israel Land Authority earlier this week announced tenders for the construction of 940 units in the West Bank illegal settlements of Efrat and Beitar Ilit, and another 89 units in the Har Gilo settlement, five kilometers south of al-Quds.
The group added that a total of 747 units are to be built in 11 different complexes across the Beitar Illit settlement, 727 of which are part of the so-called "Targeted Housing" program.
Peace Now said the release of the tenders came despite the fact that Israel pledged at Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh summit earlier this month to hold discussions on building new settlements for four months and plans to legalize unauthorized settlement outposts for six set months.
"Despite Israel's commitments to its allies around the world, it appears to continue to encourage construction, hurting the chances of a political settlement and increasing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in both the short and long term," the statement said.
"This is another damaging and unnecessary construction initiative as part of the messianic coup unfolding alongside the regime coup," the group said, criticizing the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "ignoring the possibility of a future political deal and ours." trampling on relations with the US and friendly countries.”
Emboldened by the full support of former US President Donald Trump, the Israeli regime has stepped up its illegal settlement-building activities in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which describes the settlements in the West Bank and eastern al-Quds as "a flagrant violation of the... international law."
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since Israel occupied the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has issued several resolutions condemning Israel's settlement activities in the occupied territories.
The Palestinians want the West Bank to be part of a future independent state with East al-Quds as its capital.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. One of the major sticking points in these negotiations was Israel's ongoing illegal settlement expansion.
Many Palestinians believe that Israeli plans to annex a third of the already occupied West Bank, including parts of the strategic Jordan Valley, are a mere formality and that a de facto Israeli occupation of their land has been underway for many years.
