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Over the summer, Israeli officials met to discuss what can only be called a war on the very existence of Palestinians in 60% of the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian construction - homes, agriculture - was called a "virus", "territorial terror", "cancer". https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-knesset-committee-39-of-west-bank-suffices-for-palestinian-construction-1.9147990
Palestinian construction - homes, agriculture - was called a "virus", "territorial terror", "cancer". https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-knesset-committee-39-of-west-bank-suffices-for-palestinian-construction-1.9147990
The Brigadier General heading Israel's occupation authority in the West Bank proudly told the Knesset how the military has uprooted 42,000 trees planted by Palestinians in the past 20 years - including 7,500 just in 2019. Not in military operations. For being "illegally" planted.
Another Israeli official revealed that in 2019, occupation authorities confiscated 700 excavators & bulldozers & the like from Palestinians, providing "very significant deterrence". In first 8 months of 2020, 242 structures were removed from Palestinian communities & confiscated.
One official "said the coordination between various groups that report immediately on Palestinian construction has improved greatly". Present at the meetings was settler activist Meir Deutsch of Regavim, which works with state officials to target Palestinian communities.
Senior Likud MK Nir Barkat (former Jerusalem mayor): Israel's priority is settling 2 million Jews in West Bank, and the "thwarting of the Palestinians’ attempt to change the situation. They have enough territory in A and B".
The 'Areas A & B' Bantustan(s) = 40% of the West Bank.
The 'Areas A & B' Bantustan(s) = 40% of the West Bank.
Meanwhile, the Israeli gov't has just allocated 20 million shekels ($6 million) "to survey & map out unauthorised Palestinian construction" in Area C.
"first time that funds have been specifically allocated for such a survey as part of the state budget". https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-settlement-ministry-gets-6m-to-survey-unauthorized-palestinian-construction-1.9147627
"first time that funds have been specifically allocated for such a survey as part of the state budget". https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-settlement-ministry-gets-6m-to-survey-unauthorized-palestinian-construction-1.9147627
And as new UN data shows, there's no let up in Israel's "war" on the "cancer" of Palestinian existence in Area C - not even during a pandemic. March-August saw highest monthly avg. destruction rate in 4 years, w/ 389 structures demolished or confiscated. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/unlawful-demolitions-west-bank-spike-during-covid-19
NB: this was intended to be part of the thread as a whole: https://twitter.com/benabyad/status/1306126369127096320
