Islamic Jihad decries Israeli push for new settlements

In a statement on Thursday, the Islamic Jihad said Zionist regime’s announcement of new settlement expansion in the northern West Bank and northeast of al-Khalil is part of a broader plan to “consolidate the annexation of the West Bank.”

The group said the move confirms that Israeli military operations in West Bank cities and refugee camps are “fundamentally aimed at seizing and confiscating land” to convert it into settler-only colonies and to uproot Palestinians.

Its comments came after Israeli authorities approved the construction of 126 new settler units in the northern West Bank.

Zionist regime’s media reported that the higher planning council, linked to the so-called civil administration, had endorsed a plan allowing settlers to return to the Sa-Nur outpost, despite international opposition to settlement expansion.

The Islamic Jihad also pointed to reports that Zionist regime plans to revoke the operating licenses of dozens of humanitarian organizations in the West Bank and Gaza, following its decision to halt the work of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

It described the measures as part of a “systematic policy” to restrict Palestinian presence and impose a comprehensive siege affecting daily life and basic humanitarian needs.

“These policies are a slap in the face to all parties who bet on the path of compromise and negotiations and on the role of the United States in securing Palestinian demands,” the statement said.

The group added that Israel continues to ignore international charters, laws and signed agreements, warning that Palestinian resistance forces and the public will continue confronting these policies “by all means and tools” until they are defeated.

More than 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 occupation. The settlements are regarded as illegal under international law, a position repeatedly affirmed by the UN Security Council and reinforced by a July 2024 ruling by the International Court of Justice declaring Israel’s occupation illegal and calling for the evacuation of settlements.

Authorization of new settler units in the occupied West Bank come as the Israeli regime has taken sweeping steps to assert control over al-Khalil’s Ibrahimi Mosque, raising fears of a full administrative takeover.

The so-called civil administration announced it had transferred planning powers from the Palestinian Authority-run al-Khalil Municipality to its own supreme planning council.

The move was followed by permission to build a roof over the mosque’s internal courtyard, despite strong Palestinian objections.

Al-Khalil Municipality condemned the decision as a “serious and illegal violation,” saying it is part of a systematic attack on the status quo and on Palestinian authority over the site.

“This is a clear violation of international law and existing agreements,” it said.

Hamas noted that Israel is pursuing a policy of “Judaisation,” warning that the regime “seeks to undermine the mosque’s identity, as well as the Arab and Islamic identity of al-Khalil.”

The municipality also noted that the move breaches UNESCO decisions listing the Old City of Al-Khalil and the Ibrahimi Mosque as endangered world heritage sites.

Control of the mosque was divided under a 1997 agreement after a 1994 massacre by an Israeli settler that killed 29 Muslim worshippers.

The occupying regime’s latest actions are seen in the framework of efforts to strip Palestinian institutions of authority and move towards full control of the historic site as well as Palestinian lands.