TEL Aviv, June 26 (Pressa Latina) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ratified his plans to expand and create new Jewish colonies in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Jerusalem Post revealed today.
According to the newspaper, during a cabinet meeting the previous day, the right-wing politician called for “deepening our roots in our country,” alluding to the West Bank, which Israelis call Judea and Samaria.
This vision contradicts various resolutions of the UN Security Council and the position of the international community, which regards this area as occupied by this country since the 1967 war.
“We are building our land on a large scale according to the approved building plans,” Netanyahu said, referring to the approval of new settlements.
A few days ago, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement announcing the immediate construction of about a thousand houses in the Eli neighborhood of the northern West Bank.
In the coming days, another 4,560 are expected to receive the green light from the Civil Administration’s Supreme Planning Council, the Israeli army-led agency that governs the West Bank.
This decision was criticized by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland, who called for such a policy to be halted and reversed.
“I reiterate that the establishment of colonies by Israel in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law,” the official said in a statement.
As Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh recently denounced, more than 751,000 settlers live in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
There are 285 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the Prime Minister said after reminding them that the international community considers them illegal.
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