Israeli Court Approves Annexation of Palestinian Land in Bethlehem

LBethlehem, MINA – The Israeli High Court gave the green light to the Israeli occupation authorities to expand the Euphrates settlement block at the expense of Palestinian land in Bethlehem, south of the West Bank.

As quoted from Palinfo on Friday, an Israeli court rejected a petition filed by Palestinians to prevent the expansion of a settlement block that would devour 1,200,000 square meters of Khallet Al-Nahla land in the village of Wadi Rahal, Bethlehem.

The Israeli occupation plan includes the establishment of a new settlement bloc which includes 7,000 settlement units in the heart of the Bethlehem development area.

The land is also known as area E2, an important land reserve for the development of Bethlehem and meeting the development needs of Palestinians.

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The planned settlement located two kilometers northeast of the Euphrates settlement block will ravage Bethlehem’s only remaining area.

This new settlement project will allow the Israeli occupation to merge the Euphrates and E2 settlement blocs that will divide the West Bank.

According to a report by the United Nations Agency for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Israeli occupation authorities included 70 percent of the area of zone C (which is administratively and securityly under the control of the Israeli authorities) within the border with the settlements. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)