On the 26th of May 2016, the so-called “Israel Land Authority” published on its website a new tender to construct 279 housing units in East Talpiot settlement, south of Jerusalem city.
The new tender No. 100/2016/ים; came to implement the project called “Allenby Apartment for Rent " – a residential complex for rent for 20 years (Allenby complex)”, aims to construct a three building, each one consist of 6 floors, where in total 279 housing units will be constructed, at the northwestern part of East Talpiot settlement, south of Jerusalem city.
The details about the tender No. 100/2016/ים is as follow[1]:
|
Number of Bloc |
Number of Section (Lots) |
Number of Plot |
Area (Square meters) |
Number of Housing units |
|
30136
|
46 |
201 |
4,701 |
78 |
|
202 |
2,902 |
53 |
||
|
203 |
3,500 |
55 |
||
|
30300 |
6 |
204 |
6,086 |
93 |
|
Total |
—– |
—– |
17,189 |
279 |
Photocopy for the tender as it published in the Israeli newspapers
It is worth pointed that the tender No. 100/2016/ים , is a part of the plan No. 13443, which aims to construct 279 housing units, commercial stores, public buildings, and open areas in area reach to 29 dunums of land. This plan was approved on the 1st of September 2014 [2]. And the first stage to implement the Israeli plan No. 13443, came by publishing the tenders for the construction of the housing units, this step will be followed by others tenders to construct the public buildings. It’s worth to mention, that a part of this plan, especially the plot number 204, located behind the Green line (Armistice line 1949). See the map and the table below:
|
Plan No. 13443 |
|||
|
Type of construction |
Area (square meters) |
Residential Area |
Number of housing Units |
|
Residential Area |
17,189 |
17,346 |
279 |
|
Public building |
1,909 |
0 |
0 |
|
Open area |
9,859 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
29,008 |
17,346 |
279 |
|
Details about the residential areas according to the plan No. 13443 |
||||
|
Plot Number |
Type of construction |
Area (Square meters) |
Residential Area (Square meters) |
Number of housing units |
|
203 |
Residential area with commercial front |
3,500 |
0 |
55 |
|
204 |
Residential area |
6,056 |
17,346 |
93 |
|
201 |
Residential area |
4,701 |
0 |
78 |
|
202 |
Residential Area with commercial front |
2,902 |
0 |
53 |
|
Total |
—- |
17,189 |
17,346 |
279 |
Plan No. 13443
In addition to the residential areas that will be constructed in East Talpiot settlement, and a few meters away from this area, the Israeli Authorities aims to construct a “hotels zone”. Where on the 3rd of April 2016, the Israel Land Authority published on its website a tender to construct a hotel in the illegal Israeli Settlement of East Talpiot, which is located at the southern part of Jerusalem city. For more information about this case check the link below:
“New Tender to construct a Hotel in the Israeli settlement of East Talpiot”
East Talpiot settlement:
The illegal Israeli settlement of East Talpiot established in 1973 at the southern part of the City of Jerusalem, and its occupied about 1894 dunums of Palestinian land. The population of the Israeli settlers in the 2015 estimated to 17,000 settlers.
To sum up:
All types of the Israeli settlement projects in all parts of the oPt including the eastern occupied part of Jerusalem are illegal and constitute a grave breach for the International law rules and conventions:
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"
Also the resolution 452 of the 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 occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.”
Furthermore the Fourth Geneva Convention also states in Article 49 that “The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the territories it occupies.” and Article 174 of the same convention “prohibits the 'extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”
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.land.gov.il/PirsumMichrazim/Aspx/image.aspx?misMichraz=1002016%e9%ed&misRatz=2
[2] http://www.land.gov.il/iturtabot/taba4.asp?num=1&rec=1&gis=false
Prepared By
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
ARIJ
