From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Municipal boundaries announced for first new West Bank settlement since 2017
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
The municipal boundaries for the first West Bank settlement to be formally established by the government from scratch since 2017 are announced, allotting the new Nahal Heletz settlement some 148 acres of land southwest of Jerusalem next to Bethlehem.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who advanced the establishment of the settlement, says it will help connect Jerusalem to the Etzion settlement bloc, and says he will continue to “fight against” a Palestinian state by “establishing facts on the ground.”
“Connecting Gush Etzion and Jerusalem by establishing a new settlement is an historic moment,” says Smotrich.
“No anti-Israelism or anti-Zionism will stop the continued development of the settlements. We will continue to fight the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state, and establish facts on the ground. This is my life’s mission.”
The establishment of Nahal Heletz was formally approved by the government in June this year along with the retroactive legalization of four illegal outposts.
Zoning plans and construction permits will still need to be obtained before construction on the new settlement can begin, a process that typically takes several years.
Peace Now, which campaigns against the settlements, concurs with Smotrich that Nahal Heletz is deliberately designed to interrupt Palestinian territorial contiguity and constitutes another step in what it says is Israel’s “de facto annexation” of the West Bank.
The organization also notes that the new settlement will be built on land it says belongs to Battir, home to ancient hillside agricultural terraces that have been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO.
“The settlement that will be established will be an enclave in a Palestinian zone, and will bring about friction and security challenges,” says Peace Now.
