The Head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), Mua’yyad Sha’ban, warned against the Israeli occupation authorities' intentions to construct a new colony on lands belonging to the citizens in the Bethlehem Governorate. He also pointed out that the occupation authorities re-introduced a new plan to establish this colony this week in said area. According to the new plan that was advanced by the so-called “Civil Administration” for depositing, the plan calls for the construction of 560 new residential units out of the 952 units that were initially proposed in 2020. The proposed plan also includes constructing other buildings on approximately 205 dunums of private citizen land, situated in the area between the towns of Al-Walja and Bittir in the Bethlehem Governorate.
While the Israeli occupation authorities regard this plan as a mere expansion of the already established colony of “Har Gilo”, Sha’ban confirmed, based on cartographic data that the new plan is an attempt to establish a new colony as it is situated at a distance from the aforementioned colony. The Israeli occupation is attempting to deceive the international community by distorting the facts. Sha’ban warned that the establishment of the new colony will lead to encircling the Bethlehem Governorate with colonies, which would separate the governorate’s towns from it as a part of a cantonal system, and create a geographical link between the existing colonies in Bethlehem and Jerusalem governorates, which would ultimately eliminate any possibility for a two-state solution.
Master plan no. 1/4/401, which calls for the construction of more than 952 new colonial units, was announced in 2020. However, it did not receive the necessary approvals at the time and remained in a pending status. That is until it was submitted for deposit this week, awaiting final approval.