Heavy machinery work on a field as they begin construction work of Amichai, a new settlement which will house some 300 Jewish settlers evicted in February from the illegal West Bank settlement of Amona, in the West Bank June 20, 2017.. (photo credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
Israel plans to advance plans for 3,900 new settler homes, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said on Thursday morning.
He spoke just two days after the Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Malki urged the International Criminal Court at The Hague to open a war crimes case against Israel for such activity.
Palestinians demand full investigation into Israel at Hague ICC court, May 22, 2018 (Reuters)
On Wednesday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that Israel had not initiated any new settlement activity in the last month.
“I have to note that no settlements plans were approved and no new tenders were issued in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during the reporting period,” Mladenov said.
“Settlement construction in Area C and East Jerusalem, however, has continued, and the Israeli Government has approved major plans focused on solidifying its control of East Jerusalem,” he added.
On Thursday morning Liberman reported that the Higher Planning Council for Judea and Samaria will meet next week to approve and advance projects in 30 Jewish communities in the West Bank.
This will include final approvals for 2,500 new homes and the advancement of plans for 1,400 homes. It is unclear how many of these projects are entirely new and how many were part of the more than 10,000 homes for which plans were advanced last year.
Liberman’s office said that plans would be finalized for advanced for the following settlements: 400 homes for Ariel, 460 for Ma’aleh Adumim, 180 for Talmon, 170 for Neve Daniel, 160 for Kfar Etzion, 130 for Tene Omarim, 130 for Avnei Hefetz, 150 for Kiryat Arba, 80 for Hinanit, 60 for Neve Tzof, 45 for Ma’aleh Efraim and 40 for Alfei Menashe.
Plans will also be advanced for a 250-unit old age home in the Elkanaa settlement.
“We promised to advance building in Judea and Samaria and we kept our word,” Liberman said.
He said that thousands of more settlement homes would be brought before the council this year for approval.
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