Israel advances settlement expansion in occupied East Jerusalem, West Bank
Israel has advanced two new measures to expand illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, granting city status to the settlement of Givat Ze'ev in the occupied West Bank while approving plans for hundreds of new settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Israeli military's Central Command signed an order upgrading the illegal settlement of Givat Ze'ev, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, to a city after coordination between the defense and interior ministries, according to Israel's Channel 7.
The move is expected to expand the settlement's administrative authority, increase government funding and accelerate construction and urban development. Givat Ze'ev is home to more than 35,000 Israeli settlers.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the decision forms part of the government's policy to strengthen settlements and regularize their legal status, adding that it would reinforce what he described as a "protective wall" against the establishment of a Palestinian state.
New East Jerusalem settlement project approved
Separately, the Israeli rights group Ir Amim said the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee approved plans to build around 450 settlement housing units in the Palestinian neighborhood of Umm Lison in occupied East Jerusalem.
The project, which had been frozen for more than two years due to infrastructure issues, is expected to house about 2,000 Israeli settlers.
Ir Amim said the project would significantly alter the urban and demographic character of Umm Lison, located between the Palestinian neighborhoods of Jabal al-Mukabber and Sur Baher, describing it as unprecedented in scale within a Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
The organization warned that the expansion could increase tensions with Palestinian residents and reflects what it called a political decision to prioritize settlement growth over the rights of Palestinians.
Settlements remain illegal under international law
According to the Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now, around 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the occupied West Bank, while another 250,000 reside in settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
The United Nations has repeatedly stated that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and undermine the viability of a two-state solution. Palestinians seek occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, in line with international resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city since 1967 or its annexation in 1980.
Source:AA
