The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz reported this morning, the 1st of October 2015, that the Israeli occupation minister, "Moshe Ya’alon” has decided to add Beit Al Baraka compound located alongside the Israeli bypass road No. 60, and the land surrounding it to the jurisdiction area of the so called “Gush Etzion bloc of settlements” west of Bethlehem city, in an attempt to Judaize the area and consolidate the Israeli control over the compound.
Despite the various local and international condemnation of the Israeli planned purchase of Beit Al Baraka compound which took place earlier this year, the site was undergoing some renovations with the aim to accelerate the process of moving settlers' families to live in the compound. According to the newspaper (Haaretz), Beit Al Baraka compound is being preprared to become a tourist site where Christians, Muslims and Jews can access the site alike; however, the recent announcement of the Israeli occupation Minister, Ya’alon, dispels the Israeli allegations to turn Beit Al Baraka compound to a tourist site, and sheds the light on the hidden Israeli plans to annex the compound and the land surrounding it to become part of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc; hence, denying Palestinians their right to the compound and the area around.
A report prepared by the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem in May 2015 shows the Israeli settlement plans in the so called “Gush Etzion” area. For more details, click here:
Israel introduces another settlement in the so called “Gush Etzion Settlement Bloc”
[1] Israeli settlements comprising the Gush Etzion settlement Bloc are: Beitar Ellit, Hadar Beitar, Alon Shevut, Eliazer, Efrat, Kfar Etzion, Rosh Zurim, Neve Daniel, Gevaot, Beit Ayn, Migdal Oz.
Prepared by
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
