Israel begins construction of a new settler settlement in East Jerusalem

July 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Israel has begun construction of a new settler settlement in the Al Sawahreh neighborhood of East Jerusalem, claimed by the Palestinians as their territory.

These territories belong to the Palestinian Abu Hussein family, who have been “surprised” to see that a group of Israeli settlers had occupied the land and installed residential structures, according to what they have declared to the WAFA news agency.

The Israeli government created a law at the end of June to shorten and simplify the procedures for approving the construction of new settlements in the West Bank, which sparked criticism from the United Nations and other international organizations and governments.

The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state that should be built on pre-1967 war borders, even though Israeli authorities claim that Jerusalem is the country’s “indivisible” capital, something that has strained bilateral relations for the last years.

Increased tensions in recent months have resulted in the deaths of around 175 Palestinians and 25 Israelis, amid fears of a widespread outbreak of violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “all options are open” amid calls within the government coalition for a large-scale operation in the West Bank.

In total, some 700,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, some of them in colonies considered legal by Israel and some in settlements considered illegal even by the Israeli government. International Law considers the colonization of militarily occupied territories a war crime.