The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has approved a plan to build 1700 new housing units for Jewish settlers in Jerusalem which will affect the geography and demography of the Palestinian presence in the holy city.
Jerusalem affairs specialist Khalil Tufakji warned on Saturday against the new settlement expansion plan affirming that “the occupation state is racing against time to expand existing settlements and establish new ones in Jerusalem.”
Tufakji explained that Israeli settlement construction works are ongoing on the lands of Beit Iksa and Lifta towns in Occupied Jerusalem pointing out that the IOA almost finished the building of infrastructure including roads and a rail network to connect the new settlement units with the settlement of Ramat Shlomo where 1600 settler homes were recently built.
The expert added that the new Israeli plan to build housing units for settlers in Jerusalem is “part of a systematic and scheduled settlement project intended to build 58000 settler homes in east Jerusalem with the aim of increasing the number of settlers in the holy city and preventing the establishment of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.”
In a related context the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs condemned the Israeli settlement expansion project which is called “the 2000 master plan” in the holy city saying it aims to build hundreds of housing units for settlers.
The ministry described the new Israeli settlement plans as “part of Israeli efforts to annex and Judaize east Jerusalem and isolate it from its Palestinian environs.”
It also called the settlement expansion plans “an official Israeli disregard for the international law and the UN appeals for an end to settlement activity.”
