In Israel and the Occupied Territories, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem says it’s collected new evidence of Israeli settlement expansion on Palestinian land. B’Tselem executive director Jessica Montel says twelve settlements east of the Israeli wall through the West Bank have been expanded.

B’Tselem executive director Jessica Montel: “It is not new houses necessarily, in terms of the expansion, but new lands have been taken around very many settlements, both in an official way that Israel is erecting new fences around settlements as a security measure.”

Israel had previously pledged to freeze settlement expansion but now maintains that promise only applies to settlements it doesn’t want to keep. Israeli government spokesperson Yigal Palmor rejected the allegations and said Palestinians have the right to challenge settlement expansion in Israeli courts.

Yigal Palmor: “The status of these issues, the settlements and the Palestinian territories, in general, is currently under negotiation between Israelis and Palestinians, and whatever security measures that are taken on the ground do not effect these negotiations. At any rate, if any person, whether a landowner or other, if any person feels that their rights are being breached by these constructions, they can appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel.”

Palestinian landowner Issa Slaiby said the Israeli court rulings are irrelevant to realities on the ground.

Issa Slaiby: “In 2005, we got a ruling from the Supreme Court that allows us to farm our lands, and this ruling stands and includes the landowners. Regardless of that, the Israeli Defense Forces, or what is called the
Israeli Defense Forces, prevent us from farming our land.”