ISLAMABAD – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned acontroversial plan by Israel to build a new settlement in the heart of theflashpoint West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron).
Naftali Bennett, right-wing Israeli minister of military affairs, said onSunday that the new settlement, which will be constructed at the site of awholesale market complex, will “double” the number of settlers in al-Khalil.
Under the construction project, the old market stalls will be demolished tomake way for new shops and residential buildings.
Currently, around 800 settlers live in al-Khalil guarded by hundreds ofIsraeli soldiers. The Israeli settlers are surrounded by some 200,000Palestinians.[image: Israel to ‘double’ number of settlers in al-Khalil with new project]linkIsrael to ‘double’ number of settlers in al-Khalil with new projectlinkIsrael announces a plan to construct a new settlement in the West Bank cityof al-Khalil (Hebron) that will purportedly accommodate as many settlers asare currently housed in the city.link
In a statement issued on Tuesday, OIC Secretary General Yusuf bin Ahmedal-Uthaymeen said the Israeli decision “is a flagrant breach of theinternational law, Geneva Accord and relevant UN resolutions and underminespeace efforts.”
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He also urged the international community and the UN Security Council totake “resolute action” towards ending the Tel Aviv regime’s settlementpolicies.
Earlier, Saeb Erekat, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) secretarygeneral, said the project was the “first tangible result of the US decisionto legitimize colonization.”
He was referring to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcementlinklastmonth that the establishment of settlements in the occupied West Bank “isnot per se inconsistent with international law.”
