Israeli statistics have revealed that the Israeli settlers with the help of the Israeli occupation authorities have set up 17 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank since 2011.
Haaretz newspaper said on Monday that according to some sources and an examination based on photos taken by the so-called Civil Administration and possessed by Kerem Navot organization 17 outposts have been built in the West Bank since 2011.
The paper pointed out that the Civil Administration knows only about 14 of them although the establishment of illegal outposts with the government assistance was prohibited in 2005 following a report submitted to then Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon by attorney Talia Sasson.
The report revealed that the Israeli government had invested hundreds of millions of shekels directly and indirectly in the establishment of dozens of illegal outposts challenging the international resolutions rejecting the settlement activity and labeling it as “war crime”.
On 23rd December 2016 the UN Security Council passed with an overwhelming majority vote the resolution No. 2334 which called for the cessation of the settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories. However the resolution was met with escalated settlement activity in various forms.
According to Haaretz the way these outposts are set up shows that the process is well-planned. The founders examine aerial photos first and the locations are not chosen haphazardly.
The outposts are built on Palestinian government lands not privately-owned ones and this increases the chance that they will be legalized in the future. Also they are often established on wide deserted areas.
The Hebrew newspaper pointed out that three of the outposts are separate neighborhoods from existing settlements such as “the prefab neighborhood” set up near Sde Boaz which was evacuated about two weeks ago. Eleven outposts were set up as farms with living facilities for a few people who raise flocks or crops. At least ten of them are used for permanent residence.
Some outposts are hastily established through erecting one tent or one prefab by members of a terrorist settler group called “hilltop youth” most of whom are under 18.
There are 423 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem stretching over 46% of the total area of the West Bank where nearly 700000 settlers known for their daily attacks against Palestinian citizens live.
