Israel announces plan to double the size of Qalqilya, angering settler leaders

A government plan to double the size of the Palestinian city of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank draws anger from settlement leaders.

The government announces the plan Wednesday, which would see 14,000 new apartments built on 2,500 dunams (617 acres) in the Israeli-controlled Area C that would be joined to the Palestinian city.

The plan would double the size of the city to 60,000 residents, Channel 2 reports.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan accuses the Netanyahu government of “taking the terror city of Qalqilya, which produced so many terror attacks, and giving it a gift.”

The 14,000 units, he notes, “are seven times what all four Jewish councils received in all Judea and Samaria.”

Channel 2 says one right-wing NGO, Regavim, which deals with land issues, is filing an appeal against the decision in the name of the nearby Israeli settlement of Tzofim.

The Defense Ministry says the plan is not new, and is part of a program of easing restriction for Palestinians currently being pursued by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman.