Israel to approve expansion of illegal Itamar settlement

[ 14/07/2011 - 01:43 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)--

Israeli security sources say the Israeli occupation government will push for a construction plan in the illegal Itamar settlement, south of the Palestinian territory of the West Bank city of Nablus.

Within the next few days, the plans should be approved, the sources said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged to carry out the plan in response to the Itamar incident, where a family of five Jewish settlers were stabbed to death.

The plans were revealed in a response letter by Israeli national home front minister Matan Vilnai to Knesset member Yaakov Katz, the leader of the extremist National Union party. Vilnai asked Katz on the government's official position on a construction plan covering 13 West Bank settlements.

Vilnai said there were currently no active plans in Itamar and that Israeli war minister Ehud Barack and government agencies had set borders for Itamar to allow its expansion.

The letter also said that in the next few days, a modified zoning plan would be produced and brought to the government for approval and licensing.

Vilnai also addressed the illegal Rechelim settlement outpost in the letter. The outpost is classified as illegal by the Israeli government and therefore has not been given a zoning plan.

“The government is currently weighing plans to legalize and document Rechelim, but the political leadership still needs to issue an official decision in this regard,” he said.

The letter also referred to the illegal outpost of Naghot near Al-Khalil. He said the matter is currently under legal procedures designed to weigh the possibility of converting it into a “legal settlement”.

Israel To Expand Itamar Illegal Settlement Near Nablus

Thursday July 14, 2011 11:24 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli sources reported on Wednesday evening that the Israeli occupation government decided to approve a plan aiming at the expansion of the Itamar illegal settlement, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The cabinet will be approving the new plan after studying its maps. The approval comes to implement the vows of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, following the stabbing attack carried out against a family in Itamar, last march, leading to a death of a settler father, mother and three of their children.

The plan was exposed in a letter sent by Israeli Interior Minister, Matan Vilnai, who had previously asked member of Knesset of the Yacov Katz, leader of the National Union Party, asking about the official stance of the Israeli government regarding plans to expand 13 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Vilnai responded by stating that “currently, there are no active plans”, and that the Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, along with related government agencies, had concluded the setting of the borders of Itamar to enable its expansion.

In the coming few days, the settlement council in Itamar will be presenting modified plan, that would be submitted for approval and licensing by the Israeli government and different ministries.

Israel is also preparing plans to regulate the Rahlim illegal outpost, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The outpost is illegal under Israeli law as it was never licensed by any ministry, but now Israel wants to transform it into a settlement in order to be eligible for further services and infrastructure.

In his letter, Vilnai stated; “the government is currently weighing plans to legalize and document Rahlim, but the political leadership still needs to issue an official decision in this regard”.

He also referred to Naghot illegal outpost near the southern West bank city of Hebron, stating that the issue is currently under legal procedures that aim at weighing the possibility of transforming it into a “legal settlement”.