Latest news with #annexation
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
Annapolis residents concerned about potential annexation of Carr's Manor
The city of Annapolis is reviewing a petition to annex an area called Carr's Manor. If it goes through, the annexation will pave the way for a developer to build more than a dozen homes. Some neighbors told WJZ the move would hurt their quiet way of life. Tyler Goble said he and several of his neighbors on Carr's Road received a letter back in April. "I was honestly upset and surprised to hear that they wanted to come through this quiet little street of ours and redesign it and develop it," Goble said. Attorneys representing developer Robert Bontempo sent the letter to notify neighbors that they were filing a petition for the city of Annapolis to annex about seven acres of Bontempo's property in that neighborhood. The annexation would mean connecting to city utilities, allowing Bontempo to build more homes. Bontempo and his attorney, Alan Hyatt, presented the petition at a city council meeting on June 16. "This is not going to cause some massive amount of development or traffic. We're talking about potentially 14 more houses," Hyatt said at the meeting. Goble told WJZ he is seriously concerned about how that would impact the neighborhood. "Regardless, we still don't want 14 houses down here," said Goble. "Being able to connect with wildlife and the quietness of the street is something we don't want to lose." Goble said he is also worried about the potential cost and the headache of connecting utilities. "We'd all have to rip our yards up and get city sewer and water," Goble said. Bontempo did not immediately respond to WJZ's request for comment, but he said during the preliminary review of the petition at the June 16 council meeting that he would try work with city council to make sure neighbors would not have to pay out of pocket to connect to water and sewer. "So these people are happy, everybody wins, and the city will get the benefit of future tax revenues," said Bontempo. City leaders have not taken a position as it's still early in the process. The petition was referred to the Department of Public Works and Planning and Zoning.
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Annexation blues: Residents in Edmonton's future growth area grapple with growing pains
Nearly six years after Edmonton's biggest annexation in decades, residents who live in what the city calls its future growth area are anxious about what is to come. For landscaper Jacob Morris, Edmonton's growth continues to be a bittersweet feeling. His family first arrived in what is now the future growth area in 1891. They've had their current farm for close to 45 years and run a number of businesses including a landscaping company and an RV storage yard. The land used to be part of Leduc County, but was added to the city's boundary during the 2019 annexation along with nearly 9,000 hectares of land. The area is mostly farms and is zoned for agriculture. What once was a very rural community had suddenly become part of the province's capital city. Morris said as the city gets closer, so do potential clients for his business. But it hasn't been without some downsides. "We're still feeling maybe some of the negatives." He said construction waste, garbage dumping and deteriorating roads were a few of the problems they've been dealing with since the annexation. Morris recalls speaking with the different city divisions at an open house during the annexation process. "I remember the road table people being very confident the road conditions would be as good or better." But now Morris says the road quality has made it hard to attract business for the RV storage. At the same time, heaps of garbage are dumped near or on the family property. While the city has had workers remove trash, it keeps piling up. Unlike most of Edmonton, there is minimal infrastructure and few services in the area, and there likely won't be for years, until development begins. City pre-planning for south expansion The city's current plan calls for the eventual greenfield development of the region, where new residential communities will be built on the previously undeveloped land and farmland. It's expected to begin by the time the city reaches 1.5 million. Planners have opened the door for a service study of the future growth area to be completed by the end of 2026. This will help map out arterial roads, substations, and other necessary infrastructure to support future neighbourhoods. "It's a really exciting project," city planner Jason Cunha said. "We're pretty confident at least in Alberta, no one's ever done this kind of infrastructure planning for this large of an area in either of the major cities." The city plan for growth is set to population hikes rather than time, based on increments of 250,000, but developers are pushing for a faster timeline. Developers say growth needed faster A report from developer advocacy group BILD Edmonton Metro is making a case for the city to move faster on development for the future growth area, calling for a thoughtful plan to quickly develop the region. "It takes quite a long time to do the planning. We know that the land in the southwest particularly has been absorbed very quickly, much faster than anyone anticipated," BILD Edmonton Metro vice-president Lindsey Butterfield told CBC. The report also argues growth into undeveloped lands is not as costly as past city councils have said, using the Windermere and Heritage Valley developments as examples. The report does not take into account some costs like police and transit. Holdouts After the city's planning and servicing is complete and developers are green lit for greenfield development, many landowners will be expected to sell their lots as developers move in. "We have had instances in other places where the owners said they don't want to sell," said Sandeep Agrawal, a professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Alberta. Although he admits holdouts were rare with previous city annexations. "That actually caused a lot of issues to the municipality that annexed the land, because it was their opinion that this is how the growth would proceed." As the city gets ready to start development, Morris admits he's worried about what's to come. For each generation of family farmers, there has been a need to adapt. More than anything, Morris says he wants to ensure his family and his children can keep their farm, and continue living off the land as they have. "It's very important to us."
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Rising settler violence in West Bank sparks Palestinian uprising calls
Settler attacks are escalating across the occupied West Bank as part of the Israeli occupation's ongoing efforts to annex Palestinian territory. These incursions are taking place under direct military protection and with full political backing from the Israeli government, according to rights groups and local sources. On Saturday, settler bulldozers resumed land leveling operations in the town of Raba, southeast of Jenin, to expand control over the surrounding area. Meanwhile, in the northern Jordan Valley, settlers transported mobile homes to the Qa'oun Plain near Bardala, moves widely seen as preparation for a new illegal outpost. Additionally, settlers pitched tents on the western outskirts of Deir Istiya, a village already under intense pressure due to nearby settlements, in Salfit Governorate. Local sources report that nine settlements and two grazing outposts have already been established in the area, posing an existential threat to Palestinian residents. In another alarming development, settlers stormed the village of Shalla al-Auja, northeast of Areeha (Jericho), and unleashed livestock into residential neighborhoods and farmlands, damaging pastures and crops. The Al-Baydar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights confirmed the incident and warned that such daily settler incursions are systematically displacing Palestinian communities. Hassan Mleihat, coordinator for Al-Baydar, stated that the attacks are taking place 'under the protection of the Israeli military,' leaving communities vulnerable and without effective protection mechanisms. These actions, he noted, are fueling instability and fear in already isolated and marginalized regions. The targeted areas, particularly in the Jordan Valley and northern West Bank, are seen as strategic to the occupation's broader annexation policy, designed to encircle Palestinian towns, seize farmland, and fracture territorial contiguity. In response to the violence, Palestinian factions have called for mass mobilization and popular resistance. Hamas urged the reactivation of local protection committees and described the wave of settler assaults as "crimes committed under direct military cover." Moreover, Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi condemned the daily raids by what he termed "settler gangs," saying they reflect "the true face of a criminal entity that knows only destruction and death." He also criticized the Palestinian Authority for its continued security coordination with the occupation, calling it a form of complicity. Mardawi called for "comprehensive resistance" as a national response to stop "Israel's" annexation agenda and systemic displacement. Fatah also condemned recent settler attacks, accusing armed settler militias of carrying out a massacre in the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. The assault killed two young men, Saif al-Din Musallat, a Palestinian-American citizen, and Mohammad al-Shalabi, and left dozens injured. The movement said the killings are part of an organized campaign of ethnic cleansing orchestrated by "Israel's" far-right government and implemented by settler militias under military cover, calling for the prosecution of Israeli officials and militias in international courts, and demanding that the US government take responsibility for the death of its citizens. Palestinian factions and rights groups describe the uptick in settler violence as part of a coordinated annexation strategy backed by the Israeli government. The expansion of illegal settlements and settler-only roads, combined with the daily terrorizing of Palestinian communities, fits into what many now describe as a policy of forced displacement and de facto ethnic cleansing. With the West Bank increasingly destabilized and international outrage mounting, calls are growing louder for foreign governments and international legal bodies to take action against settler militias and the Israeli officials enabling them.
Al Mayadeen
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
New settler police force tightens Israeli grip on occupied West Bank
Israeli far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has established a new police unit consisting of armed settlers who are operating illegally, according to the Anadolu agency, with analysts suggesting this step could further entrench "Israel's" de facto "annexation" of the occupied West Bank. The far-right minister announced the decision during a ceremony on Wednesday at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, located in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. According to a police statement released on Thursday, the newly formed "First Response Unit," composed of more than 100 illegal settlers from Israeli settlements, will operate under the West Bank police division with the alleged aim of delivering "rapid and effective emergency response," improving "personal security," and assisting in "fighting crime" in the area. Ben-Gvir referred to the settlers in the unit as an "inseparable part of society," commending their ability to deliver "quick responses in the field," while framing the initiative as an expression of "real sovereignty and practical Zionism," a statement widely interpreted as advancing "Israel's" broader objective of annexing the West Bank. Deputy Police Commissioner Avshalom Peled stated that the unit would operate as a volunteer force assisting regular police activities, describing it as an "additional layer" of security for Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, despite the settlements being considered illegal under international law. Opposition figures and other critics have accused the far-right minister of abusing his authority to create armed militias while presenting them as an official "National Guard". Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are enduring a significant surge in settler attacks and an exponential expansion of illegal settlement outposts. According to Israeli media on Friday, there has been a 40% rise in the number of illegal settlements under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Israeli Channel 12 reported that the West Bank has witnessed a boom in settlement activity since the formation of Netanyahu's government at the end of 2022. The number of settlements increased from 128 to 178, accompanied by extensive demolitions of Palestinian homes. This expansion directly affects Palestinian communities through land seizure and home demolitions. The channel emphasized that these measures aim to entrench Israeli control over the area and dismantle the viability of the "two-state solution". Ben-Gvir's new unit comprises settlers involved in near-daily attacks against Palestinians. From physical assault and murder to arson and vandalism, destruction of agricultural lands, theft of land and resources, road ambushes and attacks on shepherds, and home invasions and intimidation, these attacks typically go about without consequence; suspects are seldom arrested, and prosecutions are even rarer. This calls the unit into question, raising concerns about its true mission. Read more: Israeli settlers suffocating Palestinian shepherds with land theft For an understanding of the police minister's mindset, Ben-Gvir, a chair in the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, along with the Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, is a highly influential member of the coalition that brought Netanyahu to power. According to a July 2 report by N12, Itamar Ben-Gvir reportedly pressured Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to jointly block a proposed prisoner swap agreement that would require implementing a temporary truce in Gaza. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have consistently opposed any agreement that would bring an end to the Gaza conflict, and now, Ben-Gvir is reportedly calculating that a unified position between his Otzma Yehudit party and Smotrich's Religious Zionism faction could generate sufficient political leverage to deter Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from moving forward with the proposed ceasefire deal. On July 10, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and former Israeli security minister, claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was intentionally prolonging the war in Gaza to appease far-right ministers within his coalition government. Lieberman asserted that Netanyahu is prolonging military operations in the besieged Gaza Strip to satisfy Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, despite increasing acknowledgment within military circles that the conflict's strategic objectives have already been met.
CBC
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Palestinians fear Israel is preparing to annex the West Bank
Since January, Israel has forced tens of thousands of people out of decades-old refugee camps in the occupied West Bank and installed barriers to restrict movement across the territory. The IDF says it's preventing terrorism, but displaced Palestinians tell CBC's Margaret Evans they're worried it could be a precursor to annexation.
