Israel advances Jewish resettlement plans, to relocate 3000 Palestinian homes in West Bank

As a part of a gesture from Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government to the Palestinians, a chance at peace and resolving the longstanding settlements dispute, Israel on Sunday, October 31 announced that it is advancing 6 more plans comprising of 1303 units of homes for the Palestinian population in the West Bank, in addition to the 2860 units it earlier pushed for the Jewish settlers.

The decision was reached after Israel’s Higher Planning Council (HPC) convened a meeting for about 4 hours amid the protests from the Civil Administration’s workers opposing Tel Aviv’s settlements plans in the Palestinian villages. Protesters accused Israel of blatant discrimination for not allowing any construction for Palestinians in Area C and constructing thousands of housing units each year for Israelis, according to Hebrew press reports. 

Israel’s Ministry of Housing on Sunday, October 24, had made its plans vocal to approve plans for a total of 3,000 settler West Bank homes, in one of the large-scale advancements, particularly in areas of Judea and Samaria. Israel’s housing council, which meets usually four times a year to advance settlement plans, met only once in January this year, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group had initially announced the construction of 780 settler homes, according to the left-wing NGO Peace Now. This figure was much lesser as compared to Higher Planning Council plans for 8,457 settler homes in 2019, and an estimated 12,159 homes in 2020. 

[Palestinian labourers building new houses in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Bruchin near the Palestinian town of Nablus. Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP]

As the council decided to convene in August, around the time that Israel’s Prime Minister departed for his first-ever meeting with US President Joe Biden, it further advanced the Jewish settlers' plan to 2,223, and over 30 projects still remained up for a debate. Of the total 3,144 homes that the committee decided to approve as of late October for the Jewish settlers, only 1,800 homes were expected to receive final approval due to the backlash. This, however, would have included the legalization of both the Mitzpe Danny outpost as a new neighbourhood in the Ma’aleh Mishmash settlement and the Haroeh Haivri as an educational institution. 

On October 31, six projects totalling 1,303 homes for Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank, which is under IDF military and civilian control were advanced, which brings the Israeli settlers home to 2,860 housing units in 30 settlements. This would now include 270 homes in Al-Ma’assara village in the Bethlehem area, 233 homes in Almasqufa in the Tulkarm area, and 200 in Dkeika in the South Hebron Hills. But plans for 160 homes in Abba a-Sharqiya, 170 homes in Khirbet Abdallah Younas, 270 in Bir Albasha in the Jenin area will be debated. Of these only 170 homes in Abdallah are expected to receive final approval. It is also being reported that the plans for 50 Palestinian homes in Khirbet Zakariya in the Gush Etzion region will also be dropped. 

US, EU condemn Israel’s 3,000 Jewish settlers' homes advancement 

Earlier last week, as Israel’s announcement about settler housing plans, estimated at around 3,000 surfaced on Hebrew media, the US stated that it was “concerned” by the IDF’s intention of building all Israeli housing units. US State Department spokesman Ned Price, who was questioned about the announcement at White House news briefing said: “We are concerned about the announcement of a meeting next week to advance settlement units deep in the West Bank, and believe it is critical for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tension and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution.” 

Price, furthermore, added that the unilateral step that could exacerbate conflict “certainly includes settlement activity, as well as retroactive legalization of settlement outposts.” US State Department Spokesperson Ned price’s statement was made before Israel’s advancement of the Palestinian building plan in Area C, which is under the Israeli military’s rule.

Controversy in the area has brewed as some Palestinians now believe that the Palestinian housing in Area C would be a part of the future Palestinian state, reports revealed. The international community, meanwhile, lambasts Israel arguing that building massive Jewish settlements in Area C would prohibit the areas’ inclusion in the borders for Palestine. European Union spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement that the housing settlements “are illegal under international law and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between the parties.” 

“The European Union has consistently made clear that it is strongly opposed to the expansion of settlements and will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders,” EU’s Stano said. 

“We renew our call upon the Government of Israel to reverse these steps which are completely inconsistent with efforts to lower tensions and to ensure calm, to halt settlement construction, and to focus on furthering meaningful re-engagement between the parties, advancing confidence-building measures and improving living conditions for ordinary people, which are urgently needed,” he added.