Palestinian sources on Sunday warned that preparations are underway to establish a new settlement outpost south of Nablus after settlers have seized new Palestinian-owned lands in the area.
The mayor of Beita town Fuad Ma’ali said that the Israeli occupation forces have confiscated private lands in Beita and the surrounding towns and prevented Palestinian citizens from approaching them under the pretext that they are Israeli-controlled property.
Ma’ali told Quds Press that the Israeli settlers have installed caravans and an infrastructure network in an area called Jabal Sbeeh which oversees vital areas in Nablus including the industrial area of Beita town.
He pointed out that what is happening in the area confirms that there is a plan to establish a new settlement outpost there which would escalate tension in view of the continued targeting of Beita and the surrounding towns by the Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Ma’ali said that contacts are in full swing with the concerned authorities to confront the Israeli move and organize events that would push the Israeli occupation to backtrack on its new plan.
The UN Security Council on 23rd December 2016 adopted a draft resolution that condemns Israel’s illegal settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories and calls for its halt saying that it threatens the two-state solution and the peace process.
Direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations were suspended in April 2014 because of Israel’s refusal to stop the settlement construction recognize the 1967 borders and release long-serving Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
