{"id":33012,"date":"2019-08-04T13:40:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-04T10:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/?p=33012"},"modified":"2019-08-06T14:58:43","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T11:58:43","slug":"at-least-2430-housing-units-to-be-promoted-4-outposts-to-be-retroactively-legalized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/at-least-2430-housing-units-to-be-promoted-4-outposts-to-be-retroactively-legalized","title":{"rendered":"2,304 Settlement Units Promoted, 3 Outposts Regularized"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update following the Higher Planning Committee (HPC) announcements on 5 and 6 August:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The HPC of the Civil Administration approved most of the plans that were on the agenda except for two that were postponed.<\/p>\n

In the end,\u00a02,304 housing units were approved\u00a0<\/strong>– 88% of which are in the West Bank in settlements that Israel will probably be forced to evacuate under a two-state agreement. 838 housing units were approved for validation (second and final approval); 1,466 housing units were approved for deposit (first stage).<\/p>\n

Plans for regularizing three outposts were approved<\/strong>\u00a0– discussion of the Brosh outpost was postponed because no resolutions had been made on the objections submitted (including an objection from Peace Now).<\/p>\n

Some of the plans are designed to legalize illegally constructed buildings in the settlements (see below).<\/p>\n

Plans not discussed (and postponed):<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plan for 207 housing units in the Har Bracha settlement near Nablus – the plan requires an extension of the jurisdiction of the settlement. Because the jurisdiction is not changed the discussion on the plan was postponed.<\/p>\n

Program for regularizing the Brosh outpost as an educational institution – a decision has not yet been made on objections submitted regarding the plan and the discussion on it was likewise postponed.<\/p>\n

For an updated list of programs, as approved – click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

88% would be deep in the West Bank<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the Cabinet’s decision last week to\u00a0promote the construction of 6,000 housing units in the settlements alongside 715 housing units for Palestinians<\/a>, the Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration convened on Monday and Tuesday (August 5 and 6) to advance a series of settlement plans.<\/p>\n

Peace Now:\u00a0<\/strong>The approval of settlement plans is part of a disastrous government policy designed to prevent the possibility of peace and a two-state solution, and to annex part or all of the West Bank. The linkage of thousands of housing permits for settlers and a negligible number of housing units for Palestinians cannot hide the government’s discrimination policy.\u00a0As a result, we see for example an approval of the illegal outpost (Haroeh Haivri) built for Israelis adjacent to the Palestinian bedouin village of Khan Al-Ahmar, for which the government refuses to approve any construction permits and instead seeks to transfer. Or we see, the approval of the construction of a new settlement neighborhood adjacent to the separation barrier after demolishing 72 housing units built adjacent to the separation barrier in Wadi Hummus, despite offering to fund security measures.<\/em><\/p>\n

The four outposts originally slated to be legalized<\/strong><\/u>
\nThe plans being advanced also include plans to retroactively legalize (“regulate”) four illegal outposts. Two weeks ago,\u00a0Peace Now released a report<\/a>\u00a0revealing that under Netanyahu’s rule more than 30 new settlements (“outposts”) have been established, along with continuing retroactive legalization of existing outposts.<\/p>\n

The legalization of outposts, including those that have been established in recent years, sends a clear message from the government that it is worthwhile to build settlements illegally, because the government will approve them retroactively.<\/p>\n

The four outposts to be legalized are as follows:<\/p>\n