Israel destroyed 478 Palestinian facilities in 2015

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.

Former Housing Minister Uri Ariel, during whose tenure the plans were conceived, did not have the necessary authorization to plan or build beyond the Green Line, the statement said, according to Lebanese Naharnet online newspaper.

“These plans therefore have no standing and are not binding on anyone”, it added.

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

Israeli watchdog Peace Now reported Sunday that the Ministry of Housing began “quietly” planning for 8372 housing units in the E1 area in November 2014, hiring architects to work on numerous plans that had been cancelled.

Israelis march from the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim to the controversial West Bank area known …

Although all settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are considered to be illegal under worldwide law, construction in E1 is seen as especially problematic by the Palestinians due to its geographical location. “The global community in 2013 came out with fair criticism of the intention to go ahead with housing construction in the E1 zone”.

“Using primarily these five methods: seizure for military purposes; declaration of state lands; seizure of absentee property; confiscation for public needs; and initial registration, Israel has managed to take over about 50% of the lands in the West Bank, barring the local Palestinian public from using them”. The possibility of building in the E1 has caused considerable concern that it would effectively prevent a contiguous Palestinian state.

Today, some 380,000 Israelis live in 135 West Bank settlements, with another 200,000 in east Jerusalem.