PNN – Palestine News Network – 14.07.11
Ramallah – PNN – The Palestine Liberation Organization admonishes Israel’s actions since the beginning of this year in the latest report issued by the Negotiations Affairs Department.
According to the data collected by the department, Israel has shunned its duties as stipulated by the 2002 ‘Road Map’ Agreement, considered a key document in the recent diplomatic corpus. Settlement construction, which was supposed to freeze, in fact continued throughout the West Bank, in particular around occupied East Jerusalem to include neighborhoods around Sheikh Jarrah, Ras Al Amoud, Silwan, At-Tur, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Beit Safafa, Beit Hanina, and Sur Bahir.
The report sums up: “On May 20th, Peace Now reported that, since the end of the so-called Israeli ‘moratorium’ on September 26, work had started on 1,976 settlement housing units in at least 75 settlements (not including East Jerusalem), 25 of them east the Wall (659 units) and 50 on the western side of it (1317 units).” Israeli authorities including the Ministry of Defense officially approved construction of the illegal settlements.
Noting the high number of casualties of Israeli strikes from January to June alone, the report finds at least 61 Palestinians were killed and another 639 injured by Israel during the first six months of 2011.
Of the approximately 110 outposts in the West Bank, 58 of which were established since March 2001, none were dismantled during the reporting period. As the report states: “In fact, ongoing construction is taking place in several settlement outposts in the West Bank.” These include 15 units in Kiryat Netafim north of Salfit, 24 units in Halamish north west of Ramallah, 20 units in Shvut Rachel south of Nablus and 40 units in Shilo, north of Ramallah.
On January 7th, “the Israeli authorities confiscated of 2.6 dunums of civilian land in Zif village in Hebron for construction of a helipad in the Hagai settlement.” Also, on January 19th, the Israeli authorities confiscated 60 dunums of civilian land east of Khallet ‘Afana village in Bethlehem for construction of a religious yeshiva school south of Efrat settlement.
Finally, concerning displacement, at least 131 Palestinian homes and other structures were demolished by Israeli authorities in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in East Jerusalem, causing the displacement of some 677 people, including 359 children.
SOURCE: PLO Negotiations Affairs Department