The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ approval of new plans to build 730 new housing units in the town of Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem.
“This decision is a continuation of Israel’s blatant violations of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Resolution 2334, adopted by the Security Council on 23 December 2016,” OIC said in a statement.
The Organization called on the international community, mainly the UN Security Council, to assume its responsibilities and compel Israel, the occupying power, to stop its colonial settlement policy and the attacks carried out by extremist settlers throughout the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.
The Israeli District Planning and Building Committee has approved a plan to build 730 new housing units in the Pisgat Zeev settlement, which is built illegally on land belonging to Palestinian residents in Beit Hanina
Israeli news outlets said the plan in the settlement of Basgat Ze’ev is located on a total area of about 70 dunums, and includes about 730 settlement units to be built in 14 residential buildings up to 12 floors high.
They added that in addition to the construction of settlement units, the plan also includes 21,000 square meters for trade and employment, and about 16 dunums will be allocated to open spaces.
Recently, Israeli authorities have increased their plans to build settlement units in the occupied territories.
The Palestinians reject these moves, which they say aim at undermining any chances for a resolution of the conflict based on the principles of the two-state solution.
Israeli settlers on Sunday began building new housing units in the northern Jordan Valley, WAFA news agency said.
It quoted human rights activist Aref Daraghmeh as saying that settlers have started building settlement units in the illegal Israeli settlement of Shadmot Mehola, which means devouring more Palestinian-owned lands.
Shadmot Mehola is one of the settlements located in the northern Jordan Valley. It was established in 1979 as an agricultural settlement. The number of settlers in 2016 reached about 608, and in 2018, its total area reached 363 dunums of Palestinian citizens' lands in the Jordan Valley.
Also, Israeli settlers built a shelter in the lands of Khirbet Al-Farisiyah in the northern Jordan Valley, WAFA said.
Daraghmeh said the settlers set up a shelter in the lands between the settlements of Rotem and Shadmot Mehola, which are built on lands belonging to citizens in Al-Farsieh in the northern Jordan Valley.
