Jerusalem - As settler groups and movements continue to present their projects for expanding settlements with the support of the far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, concerns have grown about their impact on the demographic context in the West Bank. The worries escalated when Yossi Dagan, the head of the regional council of settlements in the "Samaria" area near Nablus, sent a plan for settlement expansion to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The plan prepared by the settlement council includes details for expanding the settlement project and doubling the number of settlers. According to "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper, the number of settlers is expected to reach a million by 2050, jeopardizing potential solutions to the Palestinian issue.
On the other hand, the International Union of Muslim Scholars has renewed its warnings about the danger of these policies, describing them as a blatant violation of international agreements and human rights. In its multiple statements, the Union emphasized the importance of protecting the holy sites in Palestine and providing support to the Palestinian people in their struggle to regain their rights and freedom. It also highlighted the danger of settlement expansion and its negative impact on the regional situation and stability.
The presented plan includes the expansion of a group of well-known settlements such as "Itamar," "Shiloh," "Salait," and "Avnei Hefetz," which are expected to become full-fledged settlement cities similar to "Ariel."
The plan also emphasizes the expansion of settlements promoted by settlers, such as in "Shomron" in northern West Bank, expected to accommodate 15,000 settlers. It also focuses on the reconstruction and expansion of settlements that were evacuated according to the separation plan. This plan aligns with the government and Knesset's approval of the Separation Plan Law, which laid out the path for evacuating four settlements in the northern West Bank.