Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has declared a plan to construct 1,200 settlement units in Beit El, located on Palestinian land at the northern entrance to Al-Bireh.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Mu'ayyad Sha'ban, head of the Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, stated that this move signals a deliberate attempt by the Israeli government to create new demographic and geographic realities in the West Bank, particularly near Ramallah. He described the construction announcement as a significant escalation in Israel's settlement activities.
Sha'ban argued that this development is part of a broader strategy aimed at disrupting Palestinian territorial continuity and undermining a crucial political and administrative center. He further pointed out that transforming settlements into a permanent fixture on Palestinian land is a violation of international law and UN resolutions, which classify such activities as illegal. This expansion, he stated, underscores the Israeli intention to use political processes as a facade for further land annexation.
He also highlighted that the Israeli Planning Council frequently meets to approve new settlement expansions, indicating an ongoing effort to intensify construction and establish facts on the ground. Sha'ban warned that the international community's lack of response to these plans is as concerning as the plans themselves, as it offers tacit support for actions that jeopardize the two-state solution and any prospects for a just peace.