Israeli occupation authorities have approved a plan to designate 338 dunams (33.8 hectares) of land in the Bethlehem area of the southern occupied West Bank as an “influence zone” for the outpost Nahalat Hilets, Quds Press reported.
The area, situated south of Bethlehem, is set to be developed into a new Jewish-only settlement in contravention of international law.
In June, the Israeli Security Cabinet endorsed the legalisation of several settlement outposts in the southern occupied West Bank, specifically in Beit Jala and Battir. These measures are part of a series of ongoing actions aimed at undermining the “two-state solution” and seizing as much land as possible in the West Bank.
All settlement activity is illegal under international law, while the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ruled that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal, calling on Israel to withdraw from the area and pay reparations to Palestinians.
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