Israelis approve building of 1,700 houses in occupied Al-Quds' East

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Dec 2023 18:43
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Following the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Israeli regime formally ceased the construction of new settlements. However, existing settlements continued to expand.

This photo shows a construction site of new housing projects in the occupied West Bank Israeli settlement of "Givat Ze'ev", Monday, June 18, 2023 (AP)

On Wednesday, a non-governmental organization reported that the Israeli regime greenlighted projects for the construction of over 1,700 new homes, marking an expansion of settlements in occupied East Al-Quds.

"If it weren't for the war (on Gaza), there would be a lot of noise. It's a highly problematic project for the continuity of a Palestinian state between the southern West Bank and east Jerusalem [occupied al-Quds]," said Hagit Ofran from the Israeli NGO Peace Now.

Following the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Israeli regime formally ceased the construction of new settlements. However, existing settlements continued to expand.

Over the years, the illegal settlements' population in the occupied West Bank and the Eastern part of Al-Quds increased from around 250,000 in 1993 to nearly 700,000 as of September this year.

They constitute approximately 10 percent of "Israel's" 7 million population and currently reside across 150 settlements and 128 outposts in the occupied West Bank and East Al-Quds.

A report issued by the New York Times on November 6 detailed serious concerns raised among State Department officials after the Israeli occupation issued a request to acquire 24,000 assault rifles from the United States.

US lawmakers and some State Department officials said they are worried these weapons could potentially end up in the hands of Israeli settlers and settlers' militias involved in forcibly displacing Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, where violence has been on the rise.

The three proposed batches of semiautomatic and automatic rifles have an estimated value of $34 million and are set to be procured directly from American firearm manufacturers, the report said.

However, the acquisition requires approval from the State Department and notification to Congress. "Israel" has claimed that the rifles are intended for use by the so-called "national police force" but there have been indications that they could be distributed to settlers, according to sources familiar with the arms procurement mentioned in The New York Times.

Police Minister Ben Gvir gives out weapons to illegal Israeli settlers to be used against Palestinians.#Palestine #PalestineGenocide pic.twitter.com/lllxc2Egxw
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 23, 2023

On Wednesday, Axios reported that the US State Department is expected to enact a travel ban on Israeli settlers engaged in "violent attacks" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Though the travel ban would prevent Israeli settlers involved in "violent attacks" from traveling to the US, holders of US citizenship would reportedly remain unaffected by this measure, according to two US officials.

The report said that the State Department is also anticipated to enforce a travel ban on Palestinians engaged in resistance operations against Israelis.

This comes as part of efforts for the US to repair its reputation and avoid a regional escalation after sustaining enormous damage to its reputation over the sponsorship of the Israeli-led genocide in Gaza.