Peace Now: Israeli settlements use 9% of land only
From this article published in Haaretz
West Bank settlements have been allocated huge amounts of land, but use very little of it, according to a Peace Now report.
Only nine percent of the area under settlement jurisdiction has been built on, and only 12 percent is being used at all, the report said, citing Civil Administration figures.But despite their huge unused land reserves, 90 percent of the settlements exceed their boundaries, and about one-third of the territory they do use lies outside their jurisdiction, the report added.
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The report, compiled by Dror Etkes and Hagit Ofran of Peace Now’s Settlement Watch, found that Israel’s policy violates the state’s commitments under the Oslo Accord. This agreement stipulated that no party would take unilateral steps to change the situation in the territories until final-status negotiations status were completed. Yet even before peace talks stalled, Israel acted methodically to expand the settlements’ jurisdiction, the report said.
Israel’s acts also contradict official government statements, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s statement, following a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan in May, that “construction in the settlements takes place only within the authorized boundaries.” Continue here
