Israel’s government on Wednesday presented a plan for a large West Bank settlement north of Jerusalem, designated for ultra-Orthodox residents.
Atarot, made up of 9,000 housing units, will come under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem municipality and will be built between two large Palestinian Jerusalem neighbourhoods, Beit Hanina and Kafr ‘Aqab.
Atarot will represent the first large-scale construction beyond Israel’s internationally recognised border in Jerusalem since the Har Homa neighbourhood was built between south Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the 1990s.
Supporters of the project, which was submitted on Wednesday to the Jerusalem district planning and building committee, say it could eventually house 50,000 residents.
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The Bimkom human rights NGO criticised the decision to use the land solely for Jewish settlement and not to improve the living conditions of the Palestinian population in the vicinity, arguing that the government motivation is to “rush to create facts on the ground” to prevent Palestinian territorial contiguity that would impede Jewish access to Jerusalem from the north.
“This is a destructive plan that, if implemented, would effectively block the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel,” anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now said. “The government is using every moment to bury the chance for a future of peace and compromise.”
Wednesday’s development follows a decision this week to establish 19 new settlements across the occupied West Bank. Some will be in areas where Israel has not previously had a presence, while others will be built in densely populated Palestinian areas.
Two of the communities, Ganim and Kadim, will be built in the northern West Bank, on the sites of settlements of the same name that were evacuated under the 2005 Gaza disengagement plan, which also included the dismantling of four West Bank settlements.
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said the building boom is a “revolution” and “part of a clear strategic move to strengthen the settlements and ensure continuity of life, security and growth.”
While the government often dismantles makeshift outposts erected by militant settlers on West Bank hilltops, once a community receives government permission it becomes permanent. The vast majority of the international community considers settlements illegal under international law, but Israel considers the West Bank disputed territory.
Peace Now claims that 68 new settlements have been established by the right-wing government over the last three years. On the eve of the government’s formation there were 141 authorised settlements in the West Bank.
When asked if his government would extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank, prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said annexation “remains a subject to be discussed,” adding that there is currently “no change in the status quo.”
