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Israel government to increase number of Jewish settlers in West Bank

January 28, 2023 at 12:22 pm

Israel’s Prime Minsiter-Benjamin Netanyahu presents the new government to parliament at the Knesset in Jerusalem [AMIR COHEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

The extremist right-wing Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for a gigantic settlement plan to pour over a million Jewish settlers into the occupied West Bank, Bethlehem Radio 2000 reported on Friday.

According to the Palestinian radio station, which reported Israeli Hayom, the Israeli government plans to relocate 100,000 Jewish settlers to Area C in the occupied West Bank in the coming two years.

The Israeli government is also planning to relocate 500,000 Jewish settlers to the same area in the coming ten years.

Israel Hayom revealed that the number of settlers in the occupied West Bank would be more than a million if the number of settlers currently living there added to the total number of settlers in the occupied West Bank.

Israel demolishes Palestinian homes and approves new Israeli settlement homes - Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

Israel demolishes Palestinian homes and approves new Israeli settlement homes – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]

According to the Israeli newspaper, the plan “is the closest to annexation.”

The plan stipulates that Netanyahu’s government demolishes Palestinian villages in Area C under the pretext of being built without licenses.

Minister of National Missions Orit Strook from the Religious Zionist Party conveyed the plan during a meeting for settlement heads on Wednesday, Israeli Hayom reported.

Before Strook’s meeting, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant met with the settlement heads, who were pleased the meeting was taking place.

Israel Hayom pointed to only one reason that undermines the immediate start of its implementation: the power conflict between Galant and Head of Religious Zionism party Bezalel Smotrich, who is the finance minister and holds a ministerial position in the Ministry of Defence.

At the same time, it noted that after the judicial overhaul, the army would be away from the settlements and Israeli ministries would be able to work in the occupied West Bank without the need for “field mediators” – away from the Israeli army.

READ: Israel occupation to legalise dozens of existing West Bank settlements