Al-Baydar human rights organization warned on Saturday of accelerated Israeli settlement activity east of occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem), within the framework of the E1 settlement plan.
In a report, the rights watchdog warned that such acceleration constitutes a dangerous escalation targeting the towns of Anata, Hizma, and Jaba’, and the surrounding Bedouin communities.
“This escalation is part of an attempt to alter the Palestinian geography in a way that threatens the geographical contiguity of the West Bank.”
Israeli settlers recently began establishing a new settlement outpost on land belonging to the town of Anata, near the Bedouin communities of Abu Ghaliyeh and Al-Ara’ara. This coincides with similar activities in the lands of Hizma and Jaba’, northeast of Al-Quds, as part of a systematic settlement project, the group said.
It added that these actions are part of the E1 plan, which aims to connect the Ma’ale Adumim settlement to Al-Quds.
“This effectively severs the geographical contiguity between the northern and southern West Bank and encircles East Jerusalem with a settlement ring, stifling any future possibility of it becoming the capital of an independent Palestinian state,” Al-Baydar organization stated.
It emphasized that the towns of Anata, Hizma, and Jaba’, along with the Bedouin communities scattered throughout them, lie at the heart of the area stretching between northeast and east Al-Quds and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement.
“This area constitutes the only crossing point connecting the northern and southern West Bank, making the recent settlement activities particularly dangerous,” Al-Baydar warned.
The E1 plan, which covers approximately 12 square kilometers, was first proposed in the 1990s but faced widespread international opposition.
Today, the plan is being implemented gradually through the establishment of small, undeclared settlement outposts, paving the way for their connection to bypass roads, military bases, and checkpoints, noted the organization which defends the rights of Bedouins.
Israeli settlers have begun establishing a new outpost on Palestinian land in the town of Anata, east of occupied East Jerusalem, the Bedouin rights group Al-Baidar said.
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“This effectively isolates East Al-Quds and leaves the Bedouin communities surrounded and isolated.”
It stated that the Bedouin communities in the area rely on agriculture and herding as their primary source of income.
“With the escalation of settlement activity, local residents are being prevented from accessing their lands, and vast areas are being seized under the pretext of ‘state land’ or ‘military training zones’. Homes and structures are also being demolished under the pretext of unlicensed construction, in a policy of gradual displacement that violates the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
Source: Palestinian media (edited by Al-Manar)
