Palestinian commission identifies 11 settlement plans in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Saturday that it had identified 11 settlement plans in the West Bank, involving the expansion of residential neighborhoods and the development of industrial and commercial zones.

In a press statement, the commission said the plans include the construction of 895 housing units, as well as projects to develop economic and service infrastructure of Israeli settlements.

The plans seek to increase housing capacity, convert agricultural land and open spaces into urban and industrial areas, and expand services and facilities to support the settlements' continued growth, the statement said.

The plans are spread across the governorates of Qalqilya, Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah, Al-Bireh and Hebron, as well as areas under the jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, an Israeli regional authority overseeing settlements in the southern West Bank.

The commission warned that converting agricultural land and open spaces into settlement neighborhoods and facilities would intensify pressure on Palestinian land and restrict the expansion and geographical contiguity of Palestinian communities.

It said the plans reflect a continued policy of consolidating Israeli settlement presence and reshaping land use to ensure the settlements' long-term expansion, at the expense of Palestinian rights.

There has been no official Israeli comment on the plans.

Israel occupied the West Bank during the 1967 Middle East war and subsequently established settlements there, a move widely regarded as illegal under international law.

Settlement expansion has accelerated under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, alongside a surge in settler violence against Palestinians. The United Nations recorded 457 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage in October, the highest monthly figure since records began in 2006.