Masafer Yatta settlement project violates 'international law' for Palestinians
An aerial view of the rural area of Masafer Yatta where new settlements are to be built.
© MUSSA ISSA QAWASMA/REUTERS
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Israel is set to convene a committee this week to announce the construction of 4,000 new homes for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, in violation of international law.
If approved, the plan would be the biggest settlement advancement since US President Joe Biden took office who opposes settlement growth.
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With our correspondent in Ramallah,
Alice Froussard
“
These construction plans are a flagrant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions, a coup against the signed agreements
,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
For the latter, these new constructions “
only fuel tensions, undermine confidence and the viability of a two-state solution
”.
"
Blatant defiance
"
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also speaks of a "
glaring challenge
" for the United States and the international community, since this project to build 4,000 new houses for the colonies could require the
demolition of 12 villages in Masafer Yatta
, in the hills south of Hebron, and the seizure of nearly 5,500 acres of land, or nearly 2,225 hectares in the Jordan Valley.
An insufficient American reaction
Announced Friday by the Israelis, this project has been criticized by the US State Department, who see it as "
unilateral measures that exacerbate tensions
", but these words are "
insufficient
", according to the Palestinians.
“
They don't rise to the level of settlement building crimes,
” the ministry said.
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