Israel proposes new 650-unit settlement project in Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Governorate has announced that the Israel Regional Planning and Construction Committee has put forward a new settlement plan in southern Jerusalem. The project, named ‘Novi Rachel’, aims to construct approximately 650 new housing units on 27 dunams of land located adjacent to Palestinian homes.

Officials stated that the project is intended to disrupt Palestinian geography and urban development, creating new facts on the ground that pressure the Palestinian presence in the region. This move is part of a broader pattern of expansion; the Israeli human rights organization Ir Amim reported that the government is currently processing three major settlement projects involving more than 3,400 housing units to tighten control over East Jerusalem.

According to data from the organization Peace Now, there are approximately 250,000 Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem and over 500,000 in the West Bank. The United Nations and much of the international community consider Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories to be illegal under international law and a hindrance to a two-state solution.