Sunday, April 7, 2024: The head of CWRC, Minister Mu’ayyad Shaa’ban, revealed that the occupying state is misleading the international position which rejects the construction of new colonies. Mr. Shaa’ban said that many of the recent plans issued by the planning authorities in the occupying state claim that they want to expand the existing colonies, but after reviewing the maps of the announced plans, it turns out that the Israeli government intends to establish new colonies located far away from the colony that it claims to be expanded.
Mr. Shaa’ban said that the occupying state deposited a master plan bearing the number 2/6/510 for the purpose of reorganizing an industrial area for residential use in the so-called “Kiryat Arba” colony, which is established on citizens’ lands in Hebron, but after reviewing the maps of the master plan, it turned out that the targeted plot of land is located in an area that was confiscated in 1982 and is a large geographical area away from Kiryat Arba. It is the same place where the colonizers established the so-called “Matisa Afhai” outpost in 2018. Thus, the occupation’s intention is to legalize what the colonizers did and to establish a new colony in the region, specifically on the lands of the village Beit Ainun, north of Hebron.
Mr. Shaa’ban pointed out that 2023 also witnessed the issuance of lots of bids to establish 1,773 colonial units to expand the so-called “Ariel colony”, which is established on citizens’ lands in Salfit Governorate. However, after reviewing the maps, it turned out that the occupying state intends to establish a new colony on the citizens’ lands under the name “Ariel West.” What is worth noting is that the plan for the new colony in Salfit was approved in 1992 and bore No. 1/3/130 at that time.
Mr. Shaa’ban also added that the same thing occurred in Bethlehem Governorate, specifically in June 2022, when a new master plan was submitted for deposit for the expansion of the so-called “Har Gilo” colony, which was built on citizens’ lands in Bethlehem Governorate. The plan at that time bore the number 1/4/ 401 and aimed at establishing 952 new colonial units, but it turned out that the occupying state was hiding an intention to establish a new colony called “Carmel” that would segregate the towns of Al-Walaja and Bitir in the Bethlehem Governorate.
Mr. Shaa’ban stressed that the occupying state, through these plans and allegations that are being promoted, is trying to mislead the international community by falsifying facts and concealing the facts that is being imposed on the ground. Its main goal is to undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state, to segregate the Palestinian geography, and to isolate its villages, towns, and cities, making it unsuitable for Palestinian living.