The so-called District Planning Committee of the occupation municipality in Al-Quds approved the establishment of a new illegal Israeli settlement on the town of Beit Safafa, southeast of Al-Quds.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, reported that the illegal settlement, called "Givat Shaked", is being built at the expense of Beit Safafa lands, which suffer from a shortage of land for construction due to continuous Israeli infringement on the Palestinian property. 

Beit Safafa residents said that the purpose of establishing the illegal settlement was to prevent them from developing their town and from any construction in the future.  

The newspaper added that the settlement will be built on 38 dunums with 700 illegal settlement units, a synagogue, a school, and places of entertainment intended to be built, of course on the ruins of Palestinian property. 

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The Ir Amim organization announced its strong opposition to the establishment of the settlement.

A researcher for the organization asserted that the land should be used for the development of Beit Safafa, due to the lack of options for the development of that neighborhood.

“The government refuses to advance construction plans for Palestinians, and, at the same time, destroys more and more houses in the east of the city,” said Ir Amim researcher Aviv Tatarski.

Laura Wharton, a member of the occupation city council, also condemned the decision.

“It’s quite outrageous the way at which the building authorities approve projects as part of an obsession with trying to show greater and greater numbers of units, regardless of the city’s borders, or world opinion, or the environmental ramifications,” said Wharton.

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In mid-March, the occupation forces launched a sweeping campaign and extensive threats, during which they bulldozed lands in the town of Beit Safafa to establish a settlement on them and uprooted dozens of trees.

At the time, local sources indicated that the bulldozing work revealed an archaeological area at the top of the town of Beit Safafa, where the occupation authorities intend to establish the settlement.

Israeli media revealed, in early December, the intention of the occupation municipality in occupied Al-Quds to build a new settlement on lands of an area of ​​38 dunums in the town of Beit Safafa, which will be called “Givat Shaked”, in which 473 housing units, an elementary school, synagogues, and kindergartens will be built.

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