Haaretz: Active illegal construction in all settlements since freeze ended

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, Haaretz newspaper said Monday that since the end of the alleged settlement freeze in the occupied Palestinian territories and the resumption of settlement activities last September, there has been active illegal construction in all settlements.

The newspaper added that the Zionist movement called Amana, affiliated with Yesha council for Jewish communities, is carrying out this illegal construction in settlements and outposts.

It stressed that in Brochin settlement near Bethlehem, there are new housing units being built in addition to 46 other units already under construction, while construction works in Beit El settlement resumed one month ago to build 20 units.

Amana Movement also built homes in the illegal outposts of Migron and Amona before and after the settlement freeze.

Left-wing activist Dror Etkes, who follows up illegal settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, told Haaretz that the illegal construction in settlements has reached unprecedented levels as happened in 2002 when Amana Movement launched a campaign to build housing units everywhere in the occupied lands.

In another context, secretary-general of the Palestinian popular committees Azmi Ashyoukhi declared the launch of what he called the “tomb intifada” in order to protect the lands threatened with annexation.

Ashyoukhi urged all popular committees in the West Bank and Jerusalem to circulate the idea of protecting Palestinian lands through burying the deceased Palestinians in the areas facing annexation by the Israeli occupation authorities.