Israel to erect new Jewish settlements in West Bank to minimize Palestinian presence

The Israeli government, speeding up their attempts to occupy Palestine following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, plans to construct three new Jewish settlements, housing around 10,000 Jews, in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley (al-Ghor), according to Israeli publication Haaretz. Reports say that the government also wants to expand existing Jewish settlements with 14 new neighborhoods in the Jordan Valley.

Although the region is one of the Palestinians’ most significant land reserves, Israel has taken over most of it with aims to minimize the Palestinian presence. Palestinians were forced to vacate their homes due to the Israeli military declaring certain areas they populated as firing zones. There are approximately 80,000 Palestinians in Jordan Valley, and they are only allowed to build on 6 percent of the land.

There are currently 20 Jewish settlements in the Jordan Valley, housing 4,500 Jewish residents, and Israel wants to increase this number. Since 1967, Israel has constructed 131 settlements in the occupied West Bank, 10 settlements in East Jerusalem and 116 settlements at the high points of the West Bank.

While around 500,000 Jews reside in the settlements in the West Bank, over 220,000 residents live in the settlements in East Jerusalem. Israel reportedly plans to increase the number of settlers in the West Bank to 1 million in a short time.