Israeli occupation vehicles during a raid in the West Bank (French-Archive)

Palestinians were injured during confrontations with the occupation forces in Bethlehem in the West Bank, while Germany and the Palestinian Authority condemned Israel's approval of the construction of about 3,500 new settlement units, most of them in the Maale Adumim settlement, east of Jerusalem.

Confrontations broke out between Palestinian youths and the occupation forces, which stormed the city of Bethlehem and the Dheisheh refugee camp in the city, on Wednesday evening, and fired live bullets.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that 4 people were injured during the confrontations in Bethlehem, and Palestinian websites reported injuries in the Dheisheh camp.

Raids and arrests continue in West Bank cities and camps, as part of a broad Israeli escalation since the Palestinian resistance launched the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle on October 7th.

In occupied Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished a wall and bulldozed land for the Burqan family in the town of Silwan, south of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Local sources reported that the occupation police and municipal crews, accompanied by a bulldozer, stormed the Ain al-Loza neighborhood in the town of Silwan this morning, and began demolishing the wall and bulldozing the land under the pretext of building without a permit.

Occupation forces continue to storm the Dheisha camp, southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank #Gaza_War #Video pic.twitter.com/sv3hLsvUr0

- Al Jazeera Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) March 6, 2024

On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority and Germany condemned the approval of the Supreme Planning Authority in Israel for plans to build about 3,500 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "settlement settlements are invalid and illegal, and represent an explicit call for the continuation of the cycle of violence and wars."

The Palestinian statement also condemned the statements of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who "boasts that his period witnessed great prosperity and growth in the deepening of settlements."

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said that the global failure to implement international legitimacy resolutions encourages Smotrich and others like him to continue undermining the opportunity to achieve peace.

Maale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem (Anatolia)

For its part, Germany called on the Israeli government to immediately withdraw its approval to expand settlements, and considered such a measure a "dangerous violation of international law."

The German Foreign Ministry said, "We strongly condemn the approval to establish more settlement units in the West Bank."

Israeli media said today that the Supreme Planning Commission approved the construction of about 3,500 new settlement units in the West Bank.

She indicated that the decision includes the settlements of Maale Adumim and Kedar, east of Jerusalem, and Efrat (south).

The United States, the European Union, and many Western countries have called on Israel - in recent months - to stop settlement activity and settler violence in the West Bank, as estimates indicate that there are more than 720,000 settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies + Palestinian press