31 Dec 2021; MEMO: "We have no more land left for confiscation. The [Israeli] settlers have turned into an entity organised to terrorise and deport Palestinians," the head of Palestine's Land Research Centre (LRC) has said.
In an interview with Quds Press, Jamal Al-Amleh explained that extremist settlers compete to rule Israel, which in turn has unleashed the most spiteful of them to tear up more Palestinian land, demolish more homes and kill more Palestinians. According to the LRC, settlers "carry out systematic attacks against Palestinians to Terrorize them out of their lands."
"Not only did Israel allocate a budget of 3 million dollars to give Jerusalem a more Jewish- Israeli image, but it recruited rabbis to give religious instructions that encourages killing Palestinians and stealing their properties, and claim that this is a way to get closer to the god," the organisation said in a publication posted on its website.
"Palestinians have to face Israeli Illegal colonists who steal the land and loot the crop, and attack them even during their sleep."
According to data from the Land Research Centre, Israel has demolished about 950 homes and facilities, confiscated about 24,750 dunums (6,116 acres) of land, and cut down and damaged about 17,740 trees in 2021.
Moreover, data shows that as many as 55 existing settlements were expanded, about 15 new illegal outposts were erected this year, 102 plans for settlement expansion were approved, about 25 new colonial roads were established, and factories were opened to Judaize the land.
"These figures mean the paralysis of Palestinians' movement, the severing of areas of communication, and the prevention of geographical development," Al-Amleh said, pointed out that out of 240 Palestinian villages in Area C off the occupied West Bank, only 27 have obtained building permits while settlers are free to expand and confiscate more land.
"During the past five years, several [Palestinian] local councils and municipalities have submitted licensing applications for more than 2,550 buildings or structures, of which Israel approved only 24 – less than one per cent. On the other hand, the [Israeli] occupation issued thousands of licences for Jewish settlers," he added.
Al-Amleh explained that the Israeli actions indicate that this is organised work and confirms that the two-state solution option is now impossible on the ground.
The United Nations recently announced that since the Security Council adopted Resolution 2334 on 23 December 2016, which designated Israeli settlements as a "flagrant violation of international law", the number of settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has increased 12 per cent.
Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a statement that in 2016, there were an estimated 400,000 settlers in the West Bank, and 218,000 in East Jerusalem, and after five years the figures have increased to 475,000 settlers in the West Bank and 230,000 in East Jerusalem.
