![This picture taken on August 14, 2023, shows a view of construction cranes at Ramat Shlomo, a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem. [Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-1598191090-scaled-1.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Palestine and Jordan today denounced an Israeli plan to build 22 more illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank as an infringement of Palestinian rights.
In a statement, the Palestinian Authority said the new Israeli settlement plan constitutes “a dangerous escalation that drags the region into a cycle of violence and instability.”
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry slammed the Israeli decision “a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” and a move that undermines peace prospects.
It called the Israeli settlement measures and decisions in the occupied West Bank “null and void,” as Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian land.
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas decried the Israeli plan as “an additional confirmation” that Israel is accelerating steps to Judaise Palestinian lands.
READ: Israel’s Ben-Gvir vows to expand West Bank settlements
The Israeli settlement plan, Hamas said, represents “an impudent challenge to the international will” and “a grave violation of international law and UN resolutions.”
It urged the international community and the UN “to take deterrent steps” to confront Israeli attempts to obliterate the Palestinian cause and to end its settlement expansion policies.
Yesterday, the Israeli Defence Ministry confirmed that the government approved the construction of 22 new illegal Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank.
A ministry statement said the new settlements will “strengthen the strategic grip on all parts of Judea and Samaria [West Bank]” and “prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
In response to the decision, Israeli rights group Peace Now said: “The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the Occupied Territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal. […] The government is making clear — again and without restraint — that it prefers deepening the occupation and advancing de facto annexation over pursuing peace.”
The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law. The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as key to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
READ: ICJ: Israel’s occupation is illegal, it must pay reparations to Palestinians
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