Hamas Slams “Israeli” Plan to Build New Settlements, Calls It “Open Aggression” on Palestinians

By Staff, Agencies

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has strongly condemned the “Israeli” entity’s decision to construct thousands of new settler units in the occupied West Bank as “open aggression” on Palestinians despite international outcry.

Hamas, in a statement released on Monday, criticized the plan as “a new crime that amounts to open-ended aggression against the Palestinian nation.”

“The ‘Israeli’ decision adds up to the list of crimes that the occupying Tel Aviv regime is perpetrating across the West Bank,” it added.

“Such crimes push Palestinians to stand united in the face of ‘Israeli’ crimes.”

Hamas further called on the Arab and Muslim nations, as well as freedom-loving people worldwide, to mobilize efforts to support the steadfastness of Palestinians until they fulfill their aspirations to return and establish an independent sovereign state.

The statement came hours after “Israeli” authorities approved the construction of 5,623 new illegal settler units in the West Bank, in continuation of its illegal settlement expansion and land grab activities in the occupied territories.

According to a report by the official Palestinian WAFA news agency, the approval includes depositing plans for the construction of 4,291 new colonial settler units, which constitutes an advanced stage of planning and construction by the occupation authorities.

The report said the plans are implemented before issuing tenders for the implementation of construction projects.

The approval also includes 1,332 building plans which are submitted and will be approved after a session for hearing objections, before final approval and preparation of tenders, it added.

Hebrew media outlets said 1,000 new settler units, more than what the “Israeli” entity’s far-right administration approved last week, will be built in “Eli” settlement, south of the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

The approval came after an agreement between “Israeli” prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, War Minister Yoav Gallant, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the reports added.

More than 600,000 “Israeli” settlers live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 “Israeli” occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds [Jerusalem].

While all “Israeli” settlements are illegal under international law, the entity has stepped up settlement expansion in blatant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.