A report published on settlement activity in the occupied West Bank examined Israel’s road, housing and settlement plans in the central, southern and northern parts of the territory. The report by the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) National Office for the Defense of Land and Resistance to Settlement Activity said the plans risk severing connections between Palestinian areas.
According to the report, Israelis who have seized Palestinian land around Ramallah and al-Bireh are working in coordination with the Israeli army to open Route "463" and the route known as the "China Road." The routes are intended to connect illegal settlement outposts around the Talmon and Dolev settlements.
Risk of isolating Palestinian villages and neighborhoods
The report said the plans threaten to isolate eight Palestinian villages, including Ras Karkar, al-Janiya, Deir Ammar and Beitillu, as well as the Rayhan and al-Tayra neighborhoods from their surroundings to the south.
It said military positions and checkpoints were planned to restrict Palestinians’ movement and their access to vital institutions such as Istishari Hospital and the Arab American University. The report also said that efforts to seize olive groves and water sources were continuing.
Plan for the Gad Natan settlement in the south
The report also covered a project to establish a new illegal settlement called "Gad Natan" in the southern West Bank. The project aims to create a settlement corridor extending toward Hebron, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.
The project could sever the historic connection between Bethlehem and Hebron and surround nearby villages, including Battir and al-Walajah, turning them into closed cantons, according to the report.
The Israeli government approved the legalization of six illegal settlement outposts in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc and their transformation into independent settlements, the report said. Final approval was also granted for the construction of 567 new housing units in the towns of as-Samu and Dura in Hebron.
400-unit tender east of Qalqilya
Israeli authorities opened a tender for the construction of 400 new housing units to expand the Karnei Shomron settlement east of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank.
The report said the project aims to merge Karnei Shomron with other surrounding settlements and create a large settlement bloc connecting the interior of the West Bank to Israeli cities.
The plan could lead to the seizure of land belonging to the towns of Azzun, Jinsafut and Kafr Laqif, completely isolate those towns and hinder their natural urban development, it said.
Settlement population in the West Bank
According to Palestinian statistics, approximately 750,000 Israelis live in 156 illegal settlements and 360 settlement outposts established by Jewish groups and considered "unauthorized" under Israeli law in the occupied West Bank.
Approximately 250,000 of them live in 15 settlements established in occupied East Jerusalem.
