«Israeli» Group: Settlements Grew Under Trump Presidency

Local Editor

Construction of besieged West Bank settlements surged during the first year of the Trump presidency, an "Israeli" left-wing group Peace Now said Sunday, releasing data that added to Palestinian mistrust of the American administration.

Peace Now said that the "Israeli" entity began construction of 2,783 settlement units in 2017. That was about 17 percent higher than the annual average since "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office in 2009.

It said that 78 percent of the new units were in outlying settlements that would likely have to be evacuated if a Palestinian state is established. And 234 units, or 8 percent, were in tiny outposts that are not authorized by the entity, it said.

Three illegal outposts were said to have been established last year.

The isolated settlements described by Peace Now included "Karnei Shomron", in which construction on 261 units began, "Elon Moreh" in which 22 units were underway, and 39 in "Na'ale". Thirty-three units were built in "Mitzpe Yeriho", and 11 in "Ramat Gilad".

Trump has taken a softer line on "Israeli" construction in the occupied West Bank than some of his predecessors. He has asked the entity to show restraint at times, but avoided the strong condemnations voiced particularly by Barack Obama.

Peace Now said its data is collected through aerial surveys and inspections by monitors on the ground. In its report, Peace Now stopped short of blaming the jump in construction exclusively on White House policies.

Netanyahu has been a strong supporter of the settlements throughout his career, and his coalition is dominated by religious and nationalist politicians aligned with the settlement enterprise and who oppose Palestinian independence, fearing that it would constitute an aggressive threat on its doorstep.

"The steady pace of construction and building deep in the West Bank attest to Prime Minister Netanyahu's steadfast abetting of the settlement enterprise," the report said. "It is also apparent that the new US presidency in 2017 had no marginal deterrent effect on these ‘Israeli' unilateral moves."

"Israeli" proponents of constructing in the occupied West Bank have issued their own data showing growth in their communities.

For the Palestinians, the Peace Now data was another cause for mistrust of the US administration just as the White House is trying to wrap up a so-called Mideast "peace" initiative.

The Palestinians have severed most contacts with the White House since Trump recognized al-Quds [Jerusalem] as the "Israeli" entity's so-called capital in December. The Palestinians view the move as being unfairly biased toward the entity on the most sensitive issue in the conflict, and have already rejected the US "peace" plan before it has been made public.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team