Israel is accused of using illegal settlements to divert attention from domestic issues

A member of the Palestinian Legislative Council member has accused the Israeli government of trying to divert attention from its domestic crises at the expense of the Palestinian people. Mr Qais Abdul Karim, known as Abu Laila, has claimed that the real reason for further construction in the Jabal Abu Ghnaim settlement and other illegal settlement blocs is to try to distract Israeli citizens from the problems facing the Occupation government internally.

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According to Abu Laila, the Israeli Interior Minister’s claim that construction approval has been given in order to solve the problem of high housing prices is an attempt by the right-wing government to export its internal crisis and seek justification for its ongoing illegal settlement expansion. The PLC member noted that the current housing crisis in Israel is a result of the government giving financial priority to settlement construction over housing inside Israel itself.

Abu Laila, who is also a member of the political bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, stressed that additional construction at Jabal Abu Ghnaim will do nothing to solve Israel’s internal housing crisis.