Israel is planning to build at least 200 more settler units on occupied Palestinian land in defiance of the international community’s call on Tel Aviv to stop its expansionist policies. Israel is set to discuss on Wednesday the construction of 200 more settler units inside the Ramot settlement in East al-Quds (Jerusalem). The Israeli Planning and Construction Committee on November 4 gave the green light for the construction of 216 and 62 settler units in Ramot and Jabal Abu Ghneim (Har Homa) settlements, respectively. It came after the Israeli Interior Ministry gave the go-ahead for the construction of 500 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo settlement. The Israeli regime has announced that it is set to more than double its budget for settlement expansion projects in 2015. Israeli authorities will allocate nearly USD35 million for the World Zionist Organization's Settlement Division, which is tasked with construction of settler units on Palestinian territories. The figure is currently around USD15 million, with reports showing the 2014 budget has already increased by 600 percent. UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman warned the Security Council on October 29 over Israel’s land grab in East al-Quds, saying such policies threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state. More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967. Much of the international community, including Israel’s close allies such as the United States and the European Union, considers the settlements illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are thus subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/2929
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