Israeli settlers claim Netanyahu does not support settlement programme

Israeli settlers in the occupied west Bank have threatened unprecedented protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Jewish holidays because he does not take major decisions in support of settlements, an Israeli news website reported on Wednesday.

According to Quds Press, the Hebrew-language site 0404 claimed that the Jewish settlers are angry with Netanyahu due to his “procrastination” regarding tens of thousands of new settlement units to fulfil their demands. They are also angry because he has not transferred the promised $85 million needed to pay for security guards for the existing settlements.

The head of the Regional Council of the West Bank Settlements, Yossi Dagan, apparently called for Netanyahu not to stick by his decision to stop expanding West Bank settlements. Dagan added that Netanyahu’s agreements to build new settlements “are not enough.”

It is the United States, claimed 0404, which put pressure on Netanyahu to postpone the approval of new settlement projects applied for by settlers’ leaders. However, on Tuesday, Netanyahu pledged to build thousands of new units in the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim built on Palestinian land to the east of Jerusalem. He also insisted that he would not uproot any settler from the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, which he considers to be part of Israel.

Israel’s Department of Statistics has recently revealed that settlement building increased by 72 per cent in 2016, refuting the settlers’ and government’s claims about freezing settlements.

Read: Netanyahu on settlements: ‘We’re here to stay forever’