Israel to approve constructing 436 new illegal settlement units

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Wednesday 18 Nov 2015 - 11:09 Makkah mean time-6-2-1437 Tel Aviv, (IINA) - The Occupied Israeli government is planning to issue tenders for the construction of 436 new settlement units in the Jewish settlement of Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem, WAFA reported citing the Israeli daily Jerusalem Post. It said the municipality also wants to advance plans for the construction of 1,000 new housing units in the aforementioned settlement. On November 9, Israel's planning committee for construction in the West Bank approved the construction of about 2,200 new housing units in Ma’aleh Michmash settlement complex, east of Ramallah, in addition to a plan to erect two settlement outposts in the area. Under the plan, by 2030 there will be 800 homes in Ma’aleh Michmash, which serves as the central land reserve in the region, while 300 more homes will be added to Kochav Hashahar. The plan also seeks to regularize the Mitzpeh Danny and Neveh Erez outposts, in addition to tourism sites and an education complex. It is noteworthy that settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory and the Golan Heights, both occupied since 1967, are considered illegal under international law. Settlements violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory. Numerous UN resolutions have stated that the building and existence of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are a violation of international law, including UN Security Council resolutions in 1979 and 1980. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was previously quoted by the media as stating: “We will continue to build in Jerusalem. We will add thousands of residential units and withstand all the [international] pressure, as we continue to develop our eternal capital”. AG/IINA