Israel plans over 55000 new W Bank settler homes

Many of the Palestinians were killed while carrying out attacks on Israelis, while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes.

The Palestinians consider the victims martyrs in their fight against Israel.

Nearly daily Palestinian stabbings, car-rammings and shooting attacks have killed 21 Israelis and a USA citizen, raising fears of a wider escalation a decade after the last Palestinian uprising subsided.

Earlier in the day, a Palestinian stabbed and wounded a soldier near Jerusalem’s main bus station.

Although all settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are considered to be illegal under global law, construction in E1 is seen as especially problematic by the Palestinians due to its geographical location. They are also angry with Israeli extremists who, escorted by army forces, have stepped up their raids on the sensitive site, which is Islam’s third holiest after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.

A chief grievance of the Palestinians was settlement building on land they claim for a future state. According to rights groups, over 6,700 Palestinians are now held in Israeli jails.

“The State of Israel should liberate Hebron from the talons of the “terror authority” and begin to rule as an enlightened regime for the security of the residents of Israel”, said the statement.

From the point of view of advocacy groups, the bill is a risky step that would put Israel in a category with the likes of Russia, Turkey and neighbouring Egypt, which often struggle to accept internal criticism and have banned some NGOs.

Israel government officials said Tuesday that new plans for settler homes in one of the most contentious areas of the occupied West Bank were commissioned without authorisation and have no validity.

“They must be approved by the defence minister and then go through the approval process of the planning authority”, the report said.