Palestine Warns of Settlement Expansion in Occupied Territories
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) issued a warning on Saturday saying that the formation of the new Israeli government could lead to an "escalation of settlement activities" in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
On Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, announced that he has succeeded in forming a coalition government with several other hardline and ultra-Orthodox parties.
"The rise of Zionist fascist parties threatens an unprecedented escalation in settlement activities and confiscation of Palestinian lands," the PLO's National Office for Land Defense and Settlement Resistance said in a report sent to Xinhua.
The report stated that Netanyahu would significantly reduce his participation in construction approvals in the settlements after this authority was transferred to the Religious Zionist Party led by Bezalel Smotrich, according to the coalition agreements.
The PLO report said Israel had built 3,100 settlement units in East Jerusalem al-Quds in 2022.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds, according to official Palestinian figures.
Israel occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem al-Quds in 1967, and has controlled or blockaded these areas ever since.
