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Guterres targets E1
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the "expansion et l'accélération implacables" des colonies israéliennes en Cisjordanie, saying they contribute to the "plus importante crise de déplacement depuis 1967" in the occupied territory.
“Guterres expressed his 'strong condemnation of the ongoing expansion and acceleration of Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank”
In the same quarterly report seen by AFP, Guterres warned that the settlement project E1 "présente une menace existentielle à la solution à deux Etats" by planning to divide the West Bank into two parts.
Guterres also said he was "très inquiet concernant l'ampleur du déplacement des Palestiniens en Cisjordanie" where communities, including Bedouins, are displaced "parfois plusieurs fois".
In a joint press statement ahead of a UN Security Council meeting, five European members of the council—France, Royaume-Uni, Grèce, Lettonie, and Danemark—said they were concerned about the "détérioration de la situation en Cisjordanie" and condemned the "poursuite de la colonisation".
13 settlements approved
Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to establish 13 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, with Palestinian officials warning the expansion would deepen territorial fragmentation and further isolate occupied East Jerusalem.
The New Arab reported that, according to Israel's Channel 7, the cabinet endorsed construction of the new settlements on Thursday in the Binyamin regional council area, with the first phase expected to begin in the coming months and an initial four to six settlements set for establishment.
The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the decision, accusing Israel of seeking to "create new geographical realities on the ground" and "undermine the prospects of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state."
Amir Daoud, director of Publishing and Documentation at the Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission, told The New Arab that the move "should be viewed as part of a broader governmental strategy aimed to accelerating de facto annexation".
Violence and displacement
As settlement activity accelerated, Anadolu Ajansı reported that Israeli forces dispersed a Palestinian protest Friday in the Abu Njeim community southeast of Bethlehem, injuring and arresting several Palestinians.
“Israeli forces dispersed a Palestinian protest Friday in the Abu Njeim community”
Anadolu said Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and stun grenades during the intervention, and that Israeli forces also arrested a Palestinian during the protest.
Palestinian News Network described settler attacks across Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Tulkarm governorates on Friday, injuring Palestinian residents and international activists as Israeli authorities advanced plans to establish 13 new settlement outposts.
In the same reporting stream, Palestinian News Network said settlers took control of the Ain Rawabi spring east of Anata after vandalizing the site, warning that the spring is the only water source serving Bedouin communities and shepherds, providing drinking water for approximately 1,300 sheep.
