News from Peace Now's (Israel) Settlement Watch:
As published May 9th in
Haaretz following Peace Now's investigation, construction of a huge structure referred to as the “Amana House”
has recently started in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. The structure is intended to serve as an office building
for the Amana association - a private entity operating toward establishing and expanding settlements and
responsible for many of the illegal outposts in the Territories. The structure is being built within the
Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, and is adjacent to St. Joseph Hospital, which serves the
Palestinian population of Jerusalem and the West bank.
Construction of the settlement is supported by a wide array of governmental institutions, headed by the Israel Land
Authority (ILA). The ILA, in an illegal and misleading procedure and without a tender, expropriated private
Palestinian land and handed it over to Amana, a right-wing, pro-settler organization that is politically and
ideologically affiliated with the right-wing government.