JERUSALEM: Israeli anti-settler organization Peace Now on Thursday denounced the creation of a new settlement, announced earlier by the Gush Etzion regional council in the south of the occupied West Bank.
Yaron Rosental, the president of the Gush Etzion council, on Thursday morning announced the creation of a “new locality” near Bethlehem.
“Tonight, we established a new locality at Shdema, near Bethlehem,” Rosental said in a video circulated by his office.
A spokesman for the regional council confirmed to AFP that three mobile homes had been set up in the area and that families would move in during the weekend.
Peace Now in a statement said: “The new outpost is intended to choke the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour and block its development.
“There is no limit to the settlers’ audacity in establishing outposts and creating facts on the ground, utilising public funds while undermining Israel’s prospects for peace and a two-state solution.”
The Gush Etzion region has in recent days seen multiple violent incidents involving settlers and Palestinian residents.
The flare-up follows the dismantling of a settler outpost by Israeli authorities that regard it as illegal.
All settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.
Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents.
Israeli peace group slams new settlement in West Bank
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Israeli peace group slams new settlement in West Bank
- Three mobile homes had been set up near Beit Sahour and settlers would move in during the weekend
- All settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law
UK calls on Israel to reverse its move to expand control over West Bank
- Critics have said Israel’s move to ease settlement expansion and widen its powers in the West Bank went in the direction of annexing occupied land
LONDON: Britain on Monday called on Israel to reverse its decision to expand control over the West Bank, joining Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in criticizing the move.
“The UK strongly condemns the Israeli Security Cabinet’s decision yesterday to expand Israeli control over the West Bank,” the British government said. Critics have said Israel’s move to ease settlement expansion and widen its powers in the West Bank went in the direction of annexing occupied land.
“Any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law. We call on Israel to reverse these decisions immediately,” the British government added.
