Israeli Defense Ministry Announces 906 New Settlement Units

Move is “compensation” for court order to demolish illegal buildings

Jason Ditz, AntiWar.com

22 July 2015

The Israeli Defense Ministry has set up a Thursday announcement for the approval of construction of another 906 settlement units throughout the occupied West Bank, including 296 units in Beit El, on the outskirts of the de facto Palestinian capital of Ramallah.

The Beit El expansion is said to be a planned “compensation” to the settlers for the Supreme Court ordering two buildings in the settlement demolished for being illegally built on privately owned Palestinian land. The other settlements will be in the area around metro Jerusalem.

The settlers have promised to fight against the demolition despite the compensation, and far-right MP Uri Ariel has threatened to oppose the Netanyahu government on key votes if they let the demolitions, and the return of the land to its actual, real owners, go through.

This is a constant undercurrent in the far-right governments of Israel expanding settlements, as the settlers seize some Palestinian land, demand it be retroactively given to them, and then are given huge government projects as reparations.

Even after this, the demolitions are rarely ever carried out, and the same illegal buildings are often used as the pretext for several rounds of compensatory construction, even as the settlers move toward an eventual retroactive legalization of all of them.

Original article

Israel accused of advancing new settlement plans

Peace Now group says a total of 1,065 housing units being planned in illegal Jewish infrastructure in the West Bank.

23 Jul 2015

An Israeli settlement watchdog group says Israel has advanced plans to build or retroactively approve 1,065 housing units in illlegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Peace Now said on Thursday that an Israeli military committee retroactively approved 24 housing units in the Beit El settlement, though Israel`s Supreme Court ordered them demolished by the end of July because they were built on private Palestinian lands.

The settlements are built on land that Palestinians claim for a future state. Most countries consider them illegitimate.

In total, the group said, the Israeli military on Wednesday approved 541 new housing units, retroactively legalised 228 existing housing units, and approved infrastructure for a plan that includes 296 housing units.

The military also approved the construction of two industrial structures, a Jewish religious school and a winery.

It has been a year since Israel last approved any new settlement construction.

Last May, the Palestinian Authority criticised Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, for forming a coalition government with pro-settlement far-right Jewish Home party, which opposes a Palestinian state.

Original article with video link