Under cover of war, Israel builds new Jerusalem settlements
Nofei Rachel is one of four settlements in East Jerusalem that will add 3,000 new residential units exclusively for Jews
Under the cover of the ongoing war in Gaza, Israel is accelerating the building of settlements for Jews in occupied East Jerusalem, Haaretz reported on 11 February.
Israel is moving forward with plans for a new Jewish settlement, Nofei Rachel, comprising 650 residential units in occupied East Jerusalem, located just meters from Palestinian homes in Umm Tuba.
Like other settlement projects, Nofei Rachel is a joint project of the Justice Ministry and a real estate company controlled by right-wing settler activists.
According to a report by Israeli nonprofits Ir Amim and Bimkom Planners for Planning Rights, planning committees have approved the construction of 8,434 new housing units for Jews in areas of Jerusalem beyond the 1967 border.
The others will be located in the large Jewish settlements built in occupied East Jerusalem after the Six-Day War, such as Gilo, French Hill, and Ramat Shlomo.
"During the period of the war, the planning institutions in Jerusalem have been continuing to advance the settlement enterprise in the city at an accelerated and unprecedented pace," a report by the two organizations stated.
"While essential public services have been harmed due to the conduct of the war, from the standpoint of political officials, the war is another opportunity to create facts on the ground."
In addition, since the beginning of the war, the Jerusalem Municipality has stepped up the pace of home demolitions in East Jerusalem.
The new housing units aim to help prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
"The new settlements will deepen the prevention of the contiguity of the Palestinian space in Jerusalem and constitute additional impediments to the possibility of a different future for Israelis and Palestinians in the city and the entire area," the report stated.