The Palestinian movement published a statement this Friday evening, considering the announcement a dangerous escalation in the annexation and Judaization project. It reflects the nature of the extremist Israeli government that treats Palestinian land as a colonial prize. Hamas asserted that this decision, along with previous similar ones, represents a continuation of the policy of land theft and the imposition of colonial realities by force, including building new settlements and expanding existing outposts, in clear violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit settlement in all its forms.
Hamas warned against the excessive settlement activity that reflects clear plans to redraw Palestinian geography, isolate cities and villages from one another, and push towards a silent displacement of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian movement emphasized that these plans will not succeed in breaking the resilience of the Palestinian people and their attachment to their land and rights, calling on the international community, the United Nations, and human rights bodies to assume their responsibilities in the face of this so-called “unrestrained colonial” behavior. It stressed the necessity of taking practical steps to halt settlement expansion and hold Israeli occupation leaders accountable for their crimes against the Palestinian people, their land, and their holy sites.
Earlier today, the Israeli government announced the construction and rehabilitation of 19 new settlements throughout the West Bank. The Israeli seventh channel confirmed that the Israeli mini-cabinet, the “cabinet,” approved the construction and rehabilitation of 19 new settlements across the West Bank. It was reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz initiated the project during the “cabinet” session, which included the decision to rebuild the settlement points of “Ganim” and “Kadim” twenty years after their evacuation in the West Bank.
The Israeli channel described the approval of the settlement construction as an “important political step” that expands the scope of Israeli settlement in the West Bank. In the same context, Israeli media earlier reported that “the Israeli army intends to build a wall in the Jordan Valley to separate settlements from Palestinian villages and isolate these villages from one another.” The Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” reported that a wall is being planned in the heart of the Jordan Valley, with a planned length of 22 kilometers and a width of 50 meters.
It is noted that the West Bank and Jerusalem are witnessing escalating tensions with the continuation of Israeli military operations, which include raids, home demolitions, and arrests. At the same time, Israel accuses targeting its security apparatus and undermining its efforts to achieve security. This coincides with a Gaza truce, reached after nearly two years of war, which resulted in more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths and about 170,000 injuries.
