Israel is set to convene a committee this week to announce the construction of 4,000 new homes for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, in violation of international law. If approved, the plan would be the biggest settlement advancement since US President Joe Biden took office who opposes settlement growth.
With our correspondent in Ramallah, Alice Froussard
” These construction plans are a flagrant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions, a coup against the agreements signed “, Said this Saturday the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release. For the latter, these new constructions do not “ fueling tensions, undermining trust and the viability of a two-state solution “.
“ Blatant defiance »
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also speaks of a “ blatant defiance for the United States and the international community, because this project to build 4,000 new homes for the colonies may require the demolition of 12 villages in Masafer Yattain the hills south of Hebron, and the seizure of nearly 5,500 acres of land, or nearly 2,225 hectares in the Jordan Valley.
An insufficient American reaction
Announced on Friday by the Israelis, this project has been criticized by the US State Department, who see it as ” unilateral measures that exacerbate tensions “, but these words are “ insufficient “, according to the Palestinians. “ They don’t rise to the level of settlement building crimes said the ministry.