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Days of Palestine
2 days ago
- Business
- Days of Palestine
Israel Expands Settlement Projects, Advances Judaization in the West Bank
DaysofPal – The extremist Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is accelerating efforts to seize large areas of the occupied West Bank through an aggressive expansion of settlement projects. This move comes amid its ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and is enabled by widespread international and regional silence regarding Israel's violations in both Gaza and the West Bank. Netanyahu's coalition is pushing forward pre-planned settlement schemes aimed at fragmenting Palestinian territory and entrenching permanent Israeli control. On Sunday, the Israeli government approved the establishment of 22 new settlements across the West Bank, as part of a joint initiative by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. According to The Jerusalem Post, this plan revives settlement activity in areas such as Homesh and Sanur in the northern West Bank and includes the development of residential clusters along the Jordan Valley. A map released by Netanyahu's Likud Party illustrates a strategic spread of settlements from the northern to southern West Bank, further undermining the contiguity of Palestinian land. A Surge in Settlement Expansion Suhail Khalilieh, Director of the Settlement Monitoring Unit at the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ), stated that the Israeli government has approved plans for over 35,000 settlement units across various parts of the West Bank. Khalilieh noted that the pace of approvals has significantly accelerated since bureaucratic checks were removed. Previously, settlement plans had to go through 17 procedural stages, often taking years to approve. However, since Finance Minister Smotrich took control of the Civil Administration—a key authority managing the West Bank—approvals now take only two to three stages, allowing for near-instant implementation. Smotrich, whose position also gives him budgetary authority over settlement projects, has used this dual role to both fund and fast-track illegal construction. Khalilieh noted that settlers currently control about 10% of the West Bank, with around 40% falling under the jurisdiction of various Settlement Councils. Legalizing Illegal Outposts Raed Muqadi, a West Bank settlement affairs expert, echoed these concerns, stating that the new plan is primarily aimed at legalizing unauthorized outposts—effectively granting them legal status. Once legalized, these outposts become eligible for public services, infrastructure funding, and local administrative councils. Muqadi warned that the move paves the way for the seizure of hundreds of dunams of land, particularly in the Jordan Valley and areas surrounding Jerusalem. He also confirmed that settlement activity has doubled since October 7, 2023—marking a 100% increase compared to the past five years. During this period, more than 100 new outposts have been established, thousands of dunams of agricultural land have been closed off, and Bedouin communities have faced forced displacement, often under the pretext of security concerns. 'The occupation aims to consolidate control over the West Bank as part of a long-term plan for annexation,' Muqadi emphasized. He called for international support to strengthen Palestinian resilience against what he described as a 'fierce and calculated assault.' A Strategic Shift Disguised as Development Israeli officials claim that the expansion reflects their commitment to 'security and sustainable development,' with Smotrich describing the decision as a 'strategic transformation of vital areas.' However, critics argue that the project amounts to de facto annexation and a continuation of Israel's decades-long effort to impose unilateral realities on the ground. Since the onset of the war on Gaza in October 2023, the Israeli government has ramped up demolitions, displacement, and settlement activity in the West Bank in what many experts now describe as a coordinated campaign of land theft and ethnic cleansing. Shortlink for this post:
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Israel announces expansion of illegal settlements in occupied West Bank
The Israeli government says it will establish 22 illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, including the legalisation of some so-called 'outposts' already built without government authorisation, in a move decried by Palestinian officials and rights groups. Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the decision on Thursday, with Katz saying that it 'strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria,' using an Israeli term for the occupied West Bank. He added it was also 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel'. Smotrich, himself a settler on illegally occupied Palestinian-owned land and an advocate for Israeli annexation of the West Bank, hailed the 'historic decision'. In a statement, the Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the move as a 'once-in-a-generation decision', emphasising its strategic value in fortifying Israel's hold along the eastern border with Jordan. Israel has already built more than 100 illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small outposts to larger communities with modern infrastructure. The West Bank is home to more than three million Palestinians, who live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority governing in limited areas. The Palestinians see the territory as an integral part of a future state, along with occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza. Palestinian officials and rights groups slammed the Israeli government's decision, warning that the expansion of illegal settlements would further harm the prospects for a future Palestinian state. Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the decision, calling it a 'dangerous escalation' and a 'challenge to international legitimacy'. He accused Israel of fuelling instability in the region and warned the move breaches international law. 'This decision violates all international resolutions, especially UN Security Council Resolution 2334,' he said, adding that all settlement activity remains illegal and illegitimate. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned called on the United States and the European Union to take action. 'The announcement of the building of 22 new settlements in the West Bank is part of the war led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people,' Abu Zuhri told the news agency Reuters. The Israeli NGO Peace Now said the move 'will dramatically reshape the West Bank and further entrench the occupation'. 'The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the occupied territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal,' it said in a statement. 'This is the largest batch of illegal Israeli settlements to be approved in one decision,' reported Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim from the occupied West Bank. 'Israeli settlements are strangling Palestinian communities inside the West Bank,' said Ibrahim. 'These new settlements fill the gaps, making a future Palestinian state almost impossible on the ground. Israel is using this moment – while global attention is fixed on Gaza – to cement its occupation.' The settlement announcement comes just weeks ahead of a high-level international conference, jointly led by France and Saudi Arabia at the United Nations, aiming to revive the long-dormant process to agree a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Israel announces major expansion of illegal West Bank settlements
The Israeli government says it will establish 22 illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, including the legalisation of some so-called 'outposts' already built without government authorisation, in a move decried by Palestinian officials and rights groups. Defence Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the decision on Thursday, with Katz saying that it 'strengthens our hold on Judea and Samaria,' using an Israeli term for the occupied West Bank. He added it was also 'a strategic move that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel'. Smotrich, himself a settler on illegally occupied Palestinian-owned land and an advocate for Israeli annexation of the West Bank, hailed the 'historic decision'. In a statement, the Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the move as a 'once-in-a-generation decision', emphasising its strategic value in fortifying Israel's hold along the eastern border with Jordan. Israel has already built more than 100 illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank that are home to some 500,000 settlers. The settlements range from small outposts to larger communities with modern infrastructure. The West Bank is home to more than three million Palestinians, who live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority governing in limited areas. The Palestinians see the territory as an integral part of a future state, along with occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza. Palestinian officials and rights groups slammed the Israeli government's decision, warning that the expansion of illegal settlements would further harm the prospects for a future Palestinian state. Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the decision, calling it a 'dangerous escalation' and a 'challenge to international legitimacy'. He accused Israel of fuelling instability in the region and warned the move breaches international law. 'This decision violates all international resolutions, especially UN Security Council Resolution 2334,' he said, adding that all settlement activity remains illegal and illegitimate. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri condemned called on the United States and the European Union to take action. 'The announcement of the building of 22 new settlements in the West Bank is part of the war led by Netanyahu against the Palestinian people,' Abu Zuhri told the news agency Reuters. The Israeli NGO Peace Now said the move 'will dramatically reshape the West Bank and further entrench the occupation'. 'The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the occupied territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal,' it said in a statement. 'This is the largest batch of illegal Israeli settlements to be approved in one decision,' reported Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim from the occupied West Bank. 'Israeli settlements are strangling Palestinian communities inside the West Bank,' said Ibrahim. 'These new settlements fill the gaps, making a future Palestinian state almost impossible on the ground. Israel is using this moment – while global attention is fixed on Gaza – to cement its occupation.' The settlement announcement comes just weeks ahead of a high-level international conference, jointly led by France and Saudi Arabia at the United Nations, aiming to revive the long-dormant process to agree a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Arab News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
1997 - Israel hands over 80% of Hebron to Palestine
HEBRON: Shuhada Street stands as a stark testament to the transformation of the Palestinian city of Al-Khalil, the Arabic name for Hebron, since the signing of the Hebron Agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in January 1997. Once a bustling commercial center that reflected the city's history as one of Palestine's main economic hubs, the street is now largely closed. It has become a flashpoint for clashes between armed Jewish settlers, often accompanied and protected by the Israeli army, and local Palestinian residents. To understand what happened to Shuhada Street — the name of which translates to 'Martyrs Street,' in honor of the many Palestinians killed there over the years, particularly during the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre — one must first understand the Hebron Agreement. It was part of the Oslo peace process, which began with the signing of the Oslo I Accord in 1993. More specifically, the Hebron agreement implemented the Oslo II Accord, which was signed in September 1995. By 1996, however, the political atmosphere in Israel had shifted dramatically with the election of Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party as prime minister. The initial optimism surrounding the US-sponsored Oslo Accords quickly faded, as Netanyahu had campaigned on a platform that rejected the framework for the accords. American pressure is often cited as the primary reason why Netanyahu ultimately accepted the Hebron Agreement, or the additional protocol to Oslo II. However, in doing so the hardline Israeli leader succeeded in fundamentally altering previous understandings regarding Israel's withdrawal from the city. Renowned Palestinian intellectual Edward Said, who died in 2003, described the agreement as 'bizarre mathematics' and a 'schizophrenic scenario' in which Palestinian supporters of the PLO celebrated their own confinement. His critique calls for an examination of the agreement's lopsided terms. It divided Hebron into two main regions. H-1, constituting nearly 80 percent of the city, was allocated to 160,000 native Palestinians, who were granted limited municipal control over these areas. H-2, the remaining 20 percent, was allocated to 450 armed Jewish settlers, protected by thousands of Israeli soldiers, who retained total security control over the entire city. In essence, Jewish residents, estimated to account for 0.3 percent of Hebron's total population, enjoyed supremacy, extensive military protection, religious rights, freedom of movement, and little in the way of accountability for any acts of violence. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat attend signing of Oslo I Accord, a framework for Palestinian self-rule and a formal end to the First Intifada. 29 Palestinians killed, dozens wounded when Israeli extremist Baruch Goldstein opens fire on worshipers in Hebron during Ramadan dawn prayers in attack that becomes known as the 'Ibrahimi Mosque massacre.' Israeli government imposes series of security measures across occupied Hebron. The disputed Ibrahimi Mosque is divided; Muslim access reduced to about 40 percent, the remaining 60 percent allocated to Jewish worshipers, each using separate entrances. Rabin and Arafat sign Oslo II Accord, creating areas A, B and C in the West Bank. Arafat meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the presence of the US coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Dennis Ross, to discuss future of Hebron. Hebron Agreement divides the city into two areas. Israel and Palestinian Authority sign the Wye River Memorandum, setting out steps to facilitate implementation of Oslo II Accord. Arab League meeting in Egypt expresses support for 'Road map for peace' proposed by the US, EU, Russia and the UN. Accepted by the Palestinian Authority and Israel, it posits an independent Palestinian state and a moratorium on Jewish settlements West Bank. Palestinians were assured by their leadership that the protocol was a temporary arrangement but continue to suffer the consequences of this political misstep to this day. Hebron's population has grown significantly during the intervening years, reaching about 250,000 people, yet its residents remain hostages to the security whims of approximately 800 settlers. While it was widely believed at the time that Netanyahu had made 'concessions' to the Palestinians by accepting an unpopular agreement despite opposition from his right-wing base, it was really PLO leader Yasser Arafat who faced immense pressure, from Washington. Dennis Ross, the US envoy to the Middle East at the time, played a key role in exerting this pressure. Arafat, whose Palestinian Authority, which was established in 1994, relied heavily on US support, both as the convener of donor country meetings and the political guarantor of the Oslo Accords, found himself in a difficult position. The Palestinian understanding of the Hebron Agreement was that it represented a step in a larger political process guided by the principle of 'land for peace.' However, Netanyahu, who would undermine the substance of the Oslo Accords and the broader peace process in the years that followed, rejected this formula. As Edward Said observed: 'The United States … placed Arafat under impossible pressure. Israel's political concerns, its exaggerated obsessions with security and terror, and the notion that one armed settler deserved more consideration than thousands of Palestinians all were adopted by the US middlemen.' The notion of 'separate but equal' — a legal doctrine originating from the US Supreme Court during the late 19th century to justify racial segregation — pales in comparison to the reality in Hebron. There, Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs are not only separate but profoundly unequal, despite the latter constituting the overwhelming majority of the population. This inequality is enforced by a heavily armed settler population and pervasive Israeli military presence. In recent years, the conditions under which Palestinians in Hebron and across the West Bank are living have worsened. The Israeli military no longer abides by the original agreements, in Hebron or anywhere else in the West Bank, which was divided into several zones under Oslo II. These zones, known as Areas A, B and C, were theoretically governed by separate military and security arrangements but, in practice, Israel has maintained overarching control. The Hebron Agreement remains one of the most glaring examples of the failure of the Oslo peace process. Far from fostering peace, it entrenched the existing colonial paradigm, reinforcing both the occupation and the expansion of illegal settlements. Shuhada Street, once a symbol of Hebron's vibrant commercial life, now stands as a haunting reminder of Palestinian dispossession and the enduring legacy of a flawed agreement.
Middle East Eye
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
'No Other Land': Palestinian-Israeli film's Oscar win sparks outrage in Israel
Israeli government officials, actors and the media industry have lashed out at Hollywood and the directors of the Israeli-Palestinian film No Other Land after it won the best documentary film award at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. The film, co-directed by Palestinian journalist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, chronicles the Israeli army's attempts to expel the residents of the occupied West Bank area of Masafer Yatta - Adra's hometown - from their land. The film has received international critical acclaim for its documentation of Palestinian life under occupation and resistance to Israeli violence and attempts at displacement. Various Israeli figures have accused the film and its creators of spreading false narratives, antisemitism and harming Israel's interests in the world. Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar of the Likud Party said on Monday that the film's win was 'a sad moment for the world of cinema', adding that the film 'distorted' Israel's image on the international stage. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "Freedom of expression is an important value, but turning the defamation of Israel into a tool for international promotion is not art - it is sabotage against the State of Israel,' he continued on X, formerly Twitter. Israel Bachar, Israel's consul general in Los Angeles, posted: "Israeli Jews have No Other Land", adding that Hollywood figures should watch "the real documentary" of footage from Hamas' 7 October attack on Israel. Yoseph Haddad, a self-described Arab-Israeli activist, said that the winning speeches in Los Angeles were biased in favour of Palestinians. "He [Abraham] deserves an Oscar for hypocrisy," he added. "We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law, and Bassel is under military laws that destroy his life." The powerful Palestinian-Israeli documentary 'No Other Land' has won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. On stage, Palestinian journalist and director… — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) March 3, 2025 Others urged the Israeli government to take action by investing more in hasbara (propaganda). Journalist Shai Golden said that the film's Oscar win was a "warning sign" for Israel about its "failure" to "present... the Israeli story in a convincing" manner. "Part of the Israeli hasbara should be the use of the example of 'No Other Land,' that Israel, unlike its neighbours – led by the Palestinians – knows how to give expression to voices like Abraham's among us," he said in his column for right-wing newspaper Israel Hayom. 'Brainwashed by hatred' Yedioth Ahronoth journalist Yuval Karni stated that he would not watch the documentary, and said its win stemmed from hatred of Israel. "The two filmmakers – like large parts of the Hollywood kingdom and the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – are not really interested in the facts or the real story. Hatred of Israel is brainwashing them," he wrote. A car crash Berlinale concludes with a German witch hunt against pro-Palestine filmmakers Read More » This is only the third time in the history of the Academy Awards that Israeli filmmakers have been awarded a prize, but the film is not expected to be screened in Israeli cinemas. As of now, it is only available to Israeli public through the left-wing news website Local Call. Despite this rare achievement for Israeli cinema, the film and its creators received angry reactions from within the Israeli cinema industry. Actor Aki Avni, who has appeared in a number of Hollywood films in the past, wrote: "You hear and understand how the Holocaust began in 1933, how in the 'enlightened and aware' world, the picture is still reversed in the most distorted way." Another Israeli actor, Yadin Gellman, accused Abraham of 'selling out his people' for attention and priase. This is not the first time that No Other Land has received angry reactions in Israel. The film, which was shot over several years from 2019-2023, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year, where it won the Berlinale documentary award. After winning the award in Berlin, the Israeli public broadcaster Kan defined Abraham's speech as "the antisemitic speech of the Israeli filmmaker". Afterwards, it was forced to apologise.
