Israel approves 900 settlement units, and Ban Ki-moon slams this Plan

Israel approves 900 settlement units, and Ban Ki-moon slams this Plan

by FalastinNews Staff

The so-called Israeli Planning and Building Committee has approved the construction of 900 settlement units in occupied Jerusalem, Peace Now organization revealed Thursday.

The new housing units will be built in the settlement neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo following a decision late Wednesday by the Israeli district planning committee, the sources explained.

The Israeli authorities declared two days ago a plan to build 1,500 settler homes near Shuafat refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem.

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday criticised the Israeli government's plans to build 900 housing units in an East Jerusalem settlement, describing the move as illegal.

"The secretary-general is deeply concerned by recent announcements of plans by Israeli authorities for 900 settlements in East Jerusalem that are illegal under international law," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

900housing units have been approved for construction in an illegal settlement in East Jerusalem

The Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Committee approved the construction of 900 of 1,800 apartment units in the Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood in East Jerusalem.

In response to a question about the decision's timing which coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that he reached an agreement with the right-wing Jewish Home Party to form a coalition government, Dujarric said: "We are following up closely with the formation of the Israeli government and Ban Ki-moon will discuss with Benjamin Netanyahu possible options for peace talks based on the principle of a two-state solution."

Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem represent an obstacle to the stalled peace talks between Israelis and the Palestinians.

Palestinians demand Israel freeze all expansion plans in the settlements, but the Israeli

Moreover, extremist Jewish settlers leveled Palestinian lands in Masha town to the west of Salfit governorate under Israeli forces protection on Wednesday.

Local sources revealed that Jewish settlers leveled dozens of dunums of Palestinian lands close to Qana settlement for expansion purposes.

Researcher Khalil Maali said Qana outpost is constructed on Palestinian lands to the west of Masha town. It was previously controlled by the Jordanian army.

Settlement construction has accelerated in the area to the extent that more than 90% of the town’s lands have been confiscated. Three Israeli outposts are surrounding the town, Maali said.

Furthermore, Israeli Supreme Court decided to demolish “Atir” village in Negev to replace it by a Jewish village with pasturage.

The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in 1948 Occupied Palestine (Adalah) said, in a statement, that the Israeli court issued Tuesday evening a final decision to raze the village and displace its inhabitants.

The population of Atir village which is also called Um al-Hairan exceeds one thousand.

The demolition decision was issued after 13 years of judicial proceedings for cancelling the evacuation and demolition orders. However, the decisions made by Israeli Supreme Court cannot be appealed as it’s the highest judicial authority.

Adala Center opined that the court’s decision shows that the court admits the intention to replace the Palestinian village by a Jewish one.

The people of the village were moved into it by Israel in 1956 by an official order after they were displaced in 1948, it added.

The court, however, issued the order regardless of the humanitarian, political, social and historical dimensions, the center pointed out.

38 other Arab villages in Negev are unrecognized by Israelis since they occupied Palestine in 1948. The villages are inhabited by more than 85,000 Palestinians; all of them are Bedouin.