New Plans to expand the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo in Jerusalem city Israeli to build additional 224 housing units

On the 12th of May 2016, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, approved a new expansion Plan for the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo, at the northern part of Jerusalem city.

According to the new expansion plan, the Israeli Authorities will construct about 224 housing units in the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo, north of Jerusalem city, where these new housing units came within the Israeli Master Plan No. TPS 11085 to construct 1531 housing units in the settlement. See the image below:

Plan א/14000, pulished on the 3rd of March 2016

However, on the 18th of November 2015, the Israeli Prime Minister; Benjamin Netanyahu approved the immediate marketing of land for the construction of 436 housing units  in Ramat Shlomo settlement, north of Jerusalem city and an additional 18 housing units in Ramot settlement, northwest of Jerusalem city. [1]And for the new expansion plan, the Israeli Authorities increased the number of new housing units that will be construct in Ramat Shlomo settlement from 436 housing units to 660 housing units.

The Plan No. TPS 11085 was announced for the first time by the Israeli Government on the year of 2010 during the U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, where the plan announcement led to a diplomatic crisis between the United State of America and Israel, while and the Israeli Government claimed  the freeze of the controversial plan  . 

Details about the Israeli Master Plan No. 11085:

Furthermore, and on the 10th of January 2014, the so-called “Israel Land Authority” published on its website the tender No.  ים/12/2014 to market the land in the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo to construct 600 housing units. [2]

And on the 5th of June 2014, the Israel Land Authority published also, the tender No. ים/177/2014 to market the land in the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo to construct 400 housing units. [3]

The Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo established in the year 1990 on 1626 dunums of Palestinian land, at the northern part of Jerusalem city. Nowadays the settlement inhabited by 20,063 Israeli settlers.

To conclude

The existence of the Israeli settlements and outposts in the West Bank and their expansions are Illegal and contradicts with the international law rules, United Nations Security Council Resolutions such as 237 (1967), 271 (1969), 446 (1979), 452 (1979) ,465 (1980).

Resolution 446 March 22, 1979 calls on Israel to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories"

United Nation Security Council Resolution 452 of 1979 “calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab Territories since 1967 including east Jerusalem.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949: 'the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the Territory it occupies.'

The Fourth Geneva Convention in Article 174 also prohibits the 'extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly'.

The Roadmap of Peace signed on April 30, 2003 between Israel and the Palestinians (originally developed by the United States, in cooperation with Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations (the Quartet)) under which the Israeli Government agreed to freeze all settlement, indicated that: The -Government of Israel- immediately dismantles settlement outposts erected since March 2001, and, consistent with the Mitchell Report, [Government of Israel] freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements).The plan was adopted by the USCR 1515-2003.

In May 2001, the head of the International Red Cross delegation to Israel and the Occupied Territories said that settlements are "equal in principle to war crimes". (Note: "The transfer, the installation of population of the occupying power into the occupied territories is considered as an illegal move and qualified as a 'grave breach.' It's a grave breach, formally speaking, but grave breaches are equal in principle to war crimes", Rene Kosirnik, head of the ICRC delegation to Israel and the OPT, press conference 17 May 2001).

Article XXXI of the 1995 Oslo agreement Israelis forbidden from building or planning to any project or settlements or any colonial expansion or any plan that lead to change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The article provides “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations”.

[1] http://www.old.poica.org/details.php?Article=8609

[2] http://www.land.gov.il/PirsumMichrazim/Aspx/pirsumDetails.aspx?id=%20122014%E9%ED&rc=98&tr=108

[3] http://www.land.gov.il/PirsumMichrazim/Aspx/pirsumDetails.aspx?id=1772014%E9%ED&rc=100&tr=108

Prepared by:  
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem