Israeli government has accelerated the expansion of illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem since 07 October according to planning documents reviewed by The Guardian.
The documents reveal that over 20 projects totaling thousands of housing units have been “approved or advanced” by the Israeli government.
The surge in settlement activities has primarily been concentrated in neighborhoods like Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, and the historic Old City, areas that are predominantly Palestinian.
The report suggest that hundreds of new housing units have been approved or are under construction, with plans for thousands more in the coming years.
This scale of development is unparalleled in recent years, both in terms of speed and magnitude, the report added.
The expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem is viewed by the international community as a violation of international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territories.
The Israeli government, on the other hand, defends these developments as a matter of national and historical right, asserting Jerusalem as the “undivided” capital of Israel.
This stance is fiercely opposed by Palestinians, who see East Jerusalem as the future capital of their own independent state.
“The fast-tracking of these plans has been unparalleled in the last six months … While many government bodies were shuttered or had limited operation following 7 October, the planning authorities continued to plow forward, advancing these plans at unprecedented speed,” Sari Kronish, from Israeli human rights group Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights, told the British daily. ( With Agencies Inputs )