News|Israel-Palestine conflictNew Israeli housing plan near Jerusalem slammed as ‘disguised annexation’Israel plans to build thousands of settlement homes near Jerusalem, in effect expanding city’s borders and taking Palestinian land in West Bank, activists say.

The Jerusalem governorate in Palestine has issued a statement concerning an Israeli development plan that proposes the construction of 2,570 new housing units. These units are associated with the Geva Binyamin (Adam) settlement, situated northeast of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.

The land allocated for this project is distinct from the existing Geva Binyamin settlement, separated by infrastructure such as a highway and a security wall. Reports indicate that the new development would be situated nearer to the Neve Yaakov settlement in occupied East Jerusalem, potentially extending Jerusalem's boundaries for the first time since 1967.

The Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem governorate has criticized this initiative, describing it as an attempt to obscure the annexation process through misleading planning titles. The Israeli organization Peace Now has also commented, suggesting that the new settlement would effectively function as a neighborhood of Jerusalem, thereby extending Israeli sovereignty into parts of the West Bank.

This housing project is intended for Israel's ultra-Orthodox community and requires final approval from the Higher Planning Committee of Israel's Civil Administration. Approval is expected in the coming years.

In recent years, Israeli authorities have intensified efforts to assert control over Palestinian territories in the West Bank. On February 8, the Israeli security cabinet approved measures to enhance security oversight in Palestinian-controlled areas and facilitate land acquisition by Israeli settlers.

This action has been condemned by eight Muslim countries, which accuse Israel of attempting to impose a new legal and administrative framework to accelerate annexation and displacement of Palestinian populations. The presidency of the Palestinian Authority also criticized this move as an attempt to legitimize settlement expansion and land confiscation.

There are currently over 700,000 Israelis living in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are deemed illegal under international law, alongside approximately 3.3 million Palestinians. Israeli forces frequently conduct operations, arrests, and impose movement restrictions in the West Bank, and incidents of violence by settlers against Palestinians have increased, often with military protection.

In January, at least 694 Palestinians were displaced due to settler violence and harassment, marking the highest monthly displacement since the conflict in Gaza in October 2023, as reported by the United Nations.

Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.