The Palestinians swiftly condemned the move, saying they would seek worldwide pressure to halt the plan from going forward.
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For Palestinian Nidal Younis, the head of the Masafer Yatta village council near Hebron, in the south of the West Bank, getting hold of water has become prohibitively expensive.
On a related note, 54% of Palestinians think that Israel’s goal is to extend its borders to cover all areas between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and expel its Arab Palestinians.
He added that the water needs in the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for a state together with East Jerusalem and Gaza, are greater than the infrastructure can handle.
Early on Tuesday, a large number of illegal settlers, accompanied by Israeli military soldiers, stormed Joseph’s Tomb on the outskirts of Nablus, desecrating the site venerated by Jews, Christians and Muslims. There is frequent friction between the sides, and the city has been a flashpoint of violence during almost a year of fighting.
Since September, Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis in shootings, stabbings and vehicular attacks. Hermann attributes the imbalance in part to Israelis’ lack of contact with Palestinians, rhetoric from Israeli leaders, and media reports.
Putin initially suggested a Moscow peace conference in 2005, but this was opposed by Israel and the US.
It also found that 65 percent of Israelis fear Palestinians.
Yishai Fleisher, a spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron, welcomed expanding the settlement, saying it “would be good news for the Jewish community here”. However, he said there are no building plans yet.
The Governor of Hebron said the move showed that the Israeli government was partnering with the “settlers”, calling it “one of the most unsafe decisions that has been made in regards to Hebron”.
Hamas released a statement accusing Israel of an “attempt to influence” the outcome of the upcoming Palestinian municipal elections and condemned the arrest.
It vowed to turn to the Israeli Supreme Court, United Nations and global courts to stop the plan.
“At the same time, it is important to end the Palestinian-Palestinian rift. and to have national reconciliation between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas so that the climate be ready for real efforts to establish a state”, Sisi said as details were published on Monday (22 August). The last round of negotiations broke down two years ago, and a resumption of talks, much less progress between the sides, at this point seems unlikely. Israel says the weapons’ crackdown is making it harder for Palestinian assailants to acquire guns.
“Such a measure would primarily affect Palestinians… who will greatly suffer the consequences, by placing a heavy financial burden on those who seek to sue their Israeli employers for labour-law violations…” The Palestinians say that continued construction on occupied lands is a sign of bad faith by Israel.
The poll found that 51 percent of Palestinians and 59 percent of Israelis still support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
An Israeli soldier on Wednesday shot dead a Palestinian motorist who had stabbed him and also threw rocks from his auto at a military vehicle in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said.
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The poll, which surveyed 1,270 Palestinians and 1,184 Israelis, focused on the public’s views on a permanent peace agreement, ability to trust and compromise with the other side, and mistrust and fear of the other.
