Peace Now: Summary of the 9-Months Talks: Unprecedented Settlement Development


During the 9 months of Secretary Kerry’s efforts in the region, the Israeli Government promoted plans and tenders for at least 13,851 housing units in the settlements and East Jerusalem - an average of 50 units per day and 1,540 units per month.

 
The 13,851 units include:
  • Tenders for 4,868 units – 2,248 of them in West Bank settlements and 2,620 units in East Jerusalem. (The were also tenders for another 1,235 units in re-issued tenders, where the tenders are calls for bids to buy units that weren’t sold in previous tenders).
  • Promotion of plans for 8,983 units – 6,561 of them in West Bank settlements and 2,422 in East Jerusalem.

 
The plans were in all West Bank areas:
  • Plans for 4,793 units in isolated settlements (73%)
  • Plans for 1,768 units in settlements closer to the Green Line (27%)


The average yearly number of tenders was 4 times higher compared to previous years:


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Doubling the number of construction Starts:

According to the Israeli CBS data, in the second half of year 2013, some 828 new units were started to be built in the settlements, while at the equivalent time in 2012, only 484 units started. (the CBS data does not include the first three months of 2014).
 
New Settlements and Outposts:
  • Two new outposts were established – the Brosh outpost at the Jordan Valley and Givat Eitam, south of Bethlehem.
  • A New settlement at the heart of the City of Hebron was established for the first time since the 80’s.
  • Four outposts were legalized by promoting plans for them: Nahalei Tal and Zayit Ra’anan (near Ramallah), Givat Sal’it (in The Jordan Valley) and Elmatan (near Qalqilya).
  • A new settlement was founded, when 60 families moved in to live in the settlement of Leshem near Salfit.
  • In East Jerusalem – two big tourist projects in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan were promoted (the Kedem compound and the Spring House), and the National Park at the lands of Issawiya was approved.
  • In addition, the Ministry of Housing published tenders for preparing plans for 24,000 units in several settlements in the West Bank, including in E1. Following the publication by Peace Now, the tenders were cancelled.
 
Peace Now: Not only that the construction and the announcements of settlements were destructive for the American efforts and for the faith between the two sides, it also created facts on the ground that proved more than anything else that the Netanyahu Government did not mean to go for a two states solution but rather acted in order to strengthen the Israeli control over the Occupied Territories.



List of tenders and plans according to settlement: 
 

 

Units (Plans) Settlement Units Tender No. Settlement
60 Alon Shvut 36 346/2012 Beitar Illit
48 Beitar Illit 117 365/2012 Ariel
334 Kfar Adumim 92 91/2013 Ma'ale Adumim
28 Alfei Menashe 149 96/2013 Efrat
72 Elkana 30 4/8/13  Beit El
494 Givat Ze'ev 283 38/2013 Elkana
732 Modiin Illit 2 39/2013 Ma'ale Adumim
37 Elmatan 196 90/2013 Karnei Shomron
844 Ariel 102 103/2013 Givat Ze'ev
27 Beit Arye 18 162/2013 Ariel
160 Yakir 80 252/2013 Adam
277 Alei Zahav 112 274/2013 Ma'ale Adumim
694 Leshem 238 275/2013 Beitar Illit
19 Kiryat Netafim 1 302/2013 Alfei Menashe
22 Karnei Shomron 1 303/2013 Elkana
31 Almog 208 יש/2014/1 Efrat
496 Beit El 24 יש/2/2014 Beitar Illit
90 Bracha 102 יש/3/2014 Imanuel
125 Givat Sal'it 86 יש/4/2014 Karnei Shomron
234 Galgal 68 יש/5/2014 Alfei Menashe
559 Talmon 40 יש/6/2014 Ariel
48 Tene 75 יש/9/2014 Adam
38 Kochav Yaacov 19 יש/10/2014 Efrat
230 Maon 169 יש/11/2014 Elkana
52 Nokdim 160 82/2013 Pisgat Ze'ev
250 Ofra 80 84/2013 Har Homa
65 Shavei Shomron 130 85/2013 Har Homa
495 Shilo 23 86/2013 Pisgat Ze'ev
6,561 Total 397 108/2013 Gilo
311 273/2013 Gilo
387 293/2013 Ramat Shlomo
182 ים/7/2014 Pisgat Ze'ev
294 ים/8/2014 Ramot
600 ים/12/2014 Ramat Shlomo
56 ים/16/2014 Neve Yaacov
4868 Total