Palestine condemns Israel's plan to build 473 new settlements south of Jerusalem

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Monday denounced Israel's plans to build 473 new settlement units southeast of Jerusalem. The Ministry said that Israel is racing against time to complete as many settlement projects as possible, ANI reported. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry briefed that the proposal for new settlements comes days after the United Nations General Assembly passed resolutions on the Palestinian issue, Jerusalem, and a solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Israel's government is developing a new Jerusalem neighbourhood beyond the Green Line. The new community, named Givat Shaked, will encroach on the Palestinian neighbourhood of Beit Safafa, which is already suffering from a severe housing scarcity, ANI reported. One of the most contentious topics in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the Israeli settlements.

Proposed Israeli neighbourhood to occupy 3.8 hectares 

Givat Shaked, the proposed neighbourhood would occupy 3.8 hectares on a high-quality land parcel in the southeast sector of East Jerusalem, which Israel conquered in 1967. Israel's planning committee stated that as the plan is authorised, the area will be marketed in accordance with the appropriate procedures of the administrator general's office, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Since June, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government has initiated a series of settlement projects, including Givat Shaked.

Israel announced in October that it was constructing a new Jewish neighbourhood at Givat Hamatos, near Bethlehem, in Jerusalem. Palestinians in East Jerusalem are unable to construct new homes because Israel prohibits it and it has not permitted a single new neighbourhood for Palestinians since it assumed control of the city in 1967, the Middle East Eye reported. Ir Amim, an Israel rights organisation stated that Israel had demolished 61 Palestinian-owned homes in East Jerusalem as of May; 33 were dwellings while the rest were used as commercial and non-residential buildings. In 2019, East Jerusalem had a population of 358,800 Palestinians and 557,600 Israelis.

About 700,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to local media estimates. Since 1967, all Israeli governments have continued to expand Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. Under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, construction has surged in recent years.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP)