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Jordan condemns 2,126 units
Jordan condemned Israel’s approval of 2,126 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank, calling it a “blatant violation of international law and humanitarian law” that undermines efforts for a two-state solution.
“Israel plans big West Bank settlement push many see as illegal By Benjamin Raab JERUSALEM, June 3 (Reuters) - Israel's hardline finance minister announced on Wednesday a major expansion by more than 2,000 homes of three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank that Palestinians hope will be part of a future independent state”
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the move infringes on the Palestinian people’s “inalienable right to self-determination,” ending the occupation and establishing an independent sovereign state on the lines of June 4, 1967 with its capital in occupied Jerusalem.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali affirmed the Kingdom’s “absolute rejection of the continued projects and settlement plans” by Israel in the occupied West Bank.
Majali also pointed to UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and to an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, which the ministry said confirmed the illegality of the Israeli occupation and the nullity of settlements and annexation measures in the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich announces 2,162 homes
On June 3, Reuters reported that Israel’s hardline finance minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a major expansion by more than 2,000 homes of three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, with a planning committee approving 2,162 new Jewish homes.
Reuters said the 2,162 units include 1,006 near Jerusalem, 922 near the Palestinian city of Nablus, and 234 near Hebron, and that Smotrich said, “We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice.”
Reuters reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office warned that Israel’s “provocative” policies were pushing the region towards more rounds of violence and called on the U.S. to stop the Israeli “madness”.
In the same Reuters report, Smotrich said the new homes would “strengthen our hold on the land, reinforce Israel's security, and establish clear facts on the ground” that prevent the creation of an “Arab terror state” in the heart of the country.
Escalation fears and calls
The Palestinian Authority condemned an Israeli plan to build 2,162 new settlement housing units in the occupied West Bank, and it called on the U.S. administration to intervene immediately to halt Israeli actions that risk further escalation in the region.
WAFA reported that Jordanian officials “strongly denounces” the approval of 2,162 new settlement housing units, stressing that it violates international law and international humanitarian law and undermines efforts to achieve a two-state solution.
Arab News said the Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration approved construction of new housing units in several settlements in both the southern and northern West Bank, including 1,006 units designated for the Gvaot settlement.
Arab News also reported that the Palestinian Authority’s condemnation was issued alongside details that excluding East Jerusalem, about 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank alongside about 3 million Palestinians, and that all settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
