Pompeo Blesses Bennett and Netanyahu’s Policies On Settlement Expansion and Land Annexation

By: Madeeha Araj,

The National Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that the international Law and international Legitimacy Resolutions are of great importance throughout the world, but has no respect in the American Administration as it keeps violating them, as its Foreign Minister, Pompeo assured in a recorded speech at the “Kohelet Forum’s conference, held in West Jerusalem last week, in which he said, “Israeli Settlement in the West Bank don’t violate the mentioned laws,” while the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman asserted that the West Bank will be the focus of Trump’s deal that is to be published within the upcoming months, adding that the US administration is about to announce new steps related to the occupied West Bank.

During a press conference with Netanyahu, Friedman presented the next stage of the American administration is the West Bank, after it has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the occupying State, and Israeli sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights. At that conference, he spoke in as a hard-liner rabbis’ language, as they use the term “Judea and Samaria” instead of the West Bank, considering it as the heart of the Torah, saying, it is a place where Ibrahim PBUH buried Sarra, Shilo, where the temple was established for 369 years, Beit-Ell, the place in which Jacob dreamed of, and the Jews Palace, where Joshua brought the Israelis into the promised land. What Friedman didn’t clearly clarify, was revealed by Minister of the Occupation Army, Naftali Bennett, he officially announced that the areas C belong to Israel - 61 percent of the area of the West Bank - promising to implement Israeli sovereignty over them, affirming at the same time his continued open war on the Palestinian presence in these areas. He said, “My goal is to house a million Israeli citizens in the West Bank within a decade.
In addition, Bennett announced the formation of a committee to discuss fixing the settlements in area C, chaired by Bennett s Settlement Affairs Assistant, Kobe Eliraz, who is going to present the list of topics to be discussed, of which granting permits to settlers that enable them to -dir-ectly purchase land in area C of the West Bank without companies´-or-approval of the Civil Administration, which means applying Civil Laws over these areas, linking settlement outposts to water and electricity networks, and legalizing of 30 outposts known as farms.
On the other hand, the Israeli occupation authorities approved a plan to build 1936 settlement units in the West Bank, part of which is on a private owned Palestinian land. The Higher Planning Council at the occupation Civil Administration approved plans to build 285 settlement units in the “Harisha outpost”, 180 units in the “Mitzpe Danny outpost” near the Mukhamas village, 147 units in the “Mitzpe Yeriho Settlement,” 107 Units in the “Alon Moreh Settlement,” 100 units in the “Naveh Tzof Settlement,” and 40 units in the “Bafdoul Settlement.”
On the outskirts of Jerusalem, the occupation municipality decided to confiscate 10s of dunums in the Jabal Al-Mukaber lands, where municipality employees distributed and put up posters on electricity poles and trees, that read: “confiscated land.” " The posters dated Dec. 22nd, that give landowners a period of 60 days to summon before the occupation municipality to “agree on the price, and change the ownership," worth mentioning that these lands belong to Jerusalemite families. Moreover, the Israeli Occupation Authorities closed approximately 35,000 dunums in the Um-Liqia, Swaidah, Hamad and Al-Mzoqah areas in the northern Jordan Valley, and prevented owners from accessing them after they sprayed winter season’s seeds. Another 300 cultivated dunums were also closed. Eyewitnesses said that there is a daily confiscation of lands in the Jordan Valley. Milions of donums under the occupation control i.e. 80%. Of the land. The Occupation Authorities are actually annexing the Jordan Valley, 9 military camps and 26 settlements, thus, leaving only 20% to the Palestinian people there.
Hebron and Jerusalem, extensive demolitions and land leveling is taking place there targeting more than 100 dunums of Palestinian land near the “Kiryat Arba Settlement.,”. Statistics issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA indicated that demolition and confiscation of Palestinian buildings in areas C have been increased by 45%. Hebrew sources indicated that in June 2019 military n. 1797 came into effect, which allowed the Civil Administration’s controllers to demolish´-or-confiscate any building within 96-hour of the notification, which means no time to appeal. Moreover, the occupation government continues the policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and facilities, as the B Tselem report stated that the number of homes demolished in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, during the year 2019 amounted to 521 buildings, including 265 in East Jerusalem under the pretext of having no permits, leaving thousands of Palestinians homeless. Worth mentioning that the European -union- criticized Israel’s endorsement of establishing about 2,000 new settlement units, and the Office of the High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy, Joseph Borrell issued a statement, in which he declared that establishment of settlement units violates the International Law, constitutes an obstacle to achieving a two-state solution, and that the -union- will not recognize any changes to the borders before 1967 including in Jerusalem.
A list of Israeli Occupation and Settlers Assaults over the Last Week, Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:

- Demolishing a house in Al-Salaa Neighborhood, Jabal al-Mukabber, under the pretext of not having a building permit.

- Handing over demolishing orders for Palestinian families.
Demolishing two houses in the Jabal al-Mukabber village, under the same pretext.

- Counting livestock, tent-sheds for fifty families in three Bedouin communities, namely Bir al-Miskub 1, Bir al-Miskub 2, and Wadi Snissel in Al Khan al-Ahmar area. Moreover, handing over demolition orders for residents of Abu-Nawar community.

Ramallah:

- Dismantling of Barns located at the main street adjacent to the Ras-Karkar village, west of Ramallah, belonging to Imad Ghanem, from of Kafr Nimah village, under the pretext of not having a permit.

Nablus:

- Chopping down 50 fruitful olive trees at the l-Wadi area. north-east of Al-Sawiya village, Nablus.

- Storming the archaeological site in the Sabastia town, north of Nablus, accompanied by the occupation government Minister of Antiquities.

Qalqilia:

- Flooding wastewater and towards the lands of Kafr-Laqif village, which resulted in mixing it with rain water, and polluted soil. Expanding the settlement industrial zone at the expense of the lands of the village.

- Expanding the industrial settlement zone at the expense of villages lands.

- Storming Kafel Hares town, north of Salfit, imposing curfew to secure the settlers intrusion into Islamic shrines, claiming they are Jewish shrines.

Jericho & Jordan Valley:

- Dismantling 9 houses, and seizing them in the Oja town, north of Jericho, there are 61 homes are also threatened with demolition there. Knowing that they were built by the municipality and funded by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA, and the Ma an Development Association.

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