The occupation approves plans to build 538 new settlement units in West Bank

Hebrew media sources revealed that the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved in September to advance a plan to expand the Itamar settlement southeast of Nablus Governorate in the northern occupied West Bank to five times its size by adding 538 new housing units.

Haaretz Israeli newspaper revealed on Monday 12th November on its website that according to documents it obtained, Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, has agreed on the plan, even though there is no plan in effect for the settlement to expand it to five times its size.

The documents confirmed that the construction work carried out in the settlement, which was founded in 1984 on Palestinian land, are illegal, which means that no legal building permits can be issued.

The paper stated that the settlers took advantage of the murder of five members of the Fogel family on the settlement, in March 2011, allegedly by a Palestinian youth to pressure the Council of Jewish Communities of the West Bank and the Israeli government to approve the construction of the new housing units.

According to the documents Haaretz obtained, a meeting took place on September 24 in Barak’s office to discuss the new plan for Itamar settlement. It was decided, during the meeting, to retroactively approve 137 homes that are already built without permits, and to build an additional 538 homes.

The only condition that was introduced during the meeting is the need to obtain a license from the Ministry of Homeland Security before launching the construction work.

Left-wing activist against settlement, Dror Etkes, said that stealing Palestinian lands has become a pattern embedded in the agenda of the leaders who support settlement construction.