Palestine govt.: Israel rewards settler terrorism by building thousands of new units

The Palestinian government has condemned the Israeli regime’s plan to construct about 5,700 new illegal settler units in the occupied West Bank as a “reward to settler terrorism” against the Palestinian people. 

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said it considered the approval "a new crime committed by the Israeli regime against our people and an extension of its open war against the Palestinian existence in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds.”

The statement came after Israeli authorities approved the construction of 5,623 new settler units in the West Bank, in continuation of its criminal settlement expansion and land grab activities in the occupied territories.

The approval came after an agreement between Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant, and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The ministry said the new units are “a reward for the Israeli extremist far-right cabinet members Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir and their terrorist followers who will employ these units to expand the bases of Jewish terrorism in the occupied West Bank, which means giving them a greater opportunity to escalate their attacks against the defenseless Palestinian civilians."

The ministry also called on the international community to stop Israel from violating international principles, resolutions and agreements signed under the auspices of world bodies.

The ministry statement further stressed that the weakness of international reaction and silence by the international community toward settlements had emboldened the Israeli regime and provided it with cover to build thousands of new settler units.

"Israel's continued impunity, the silence of the International Criminal Court towards the crimes of the occupation and its settlers, and the double international standards, provide the occupying state with the necessary time to consolidate its settlements and undermine the opportunity to establish a Palestinian state with East al-Quds as its capital," the statement read.

The Palestinian Authority recently held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right cabinet fully responsible for persisting terrorism by Zionist settlers against Palestinians across the occupied lands.

Palestinian Authority blames Netanyahu for persisting settler terrorism in West Bank

The Palestinian Authority blames Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for persisting terror attacks on Palestinians in occupied West Bank by Zionist settlers.

Over the weekend, the Palestinian foreign ministry in a statement declared that the surge in Israeli crimes “reflects a policy adopted by the far-right Netanyahu administration, and is also a direct reflection of the campaigns of incitement to murder Palestinians, especially by extremist racists like Ben-Gvir and his followers.”

Israeli regime troops and settlers have been escalating their terror attacks against Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, in an attempt to forcibly expel Palestinians from their lands and make way for expanding illegal Zionist-only settlements.

More than 600,000 Zionists live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

All the settlements are considered illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned in numerous resolutions the Israeli regime's settlement constructions in the occupied territories.

According to human rights groups, acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property are a daily occurrence throughout the occupied West Bank.

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