Israel plans to expand Ariel settlement

Israeli interior and security officials revealed on Thursday a project to expand the Ariel settlement in the Salfit governorate in the northern part of the West Bank. The expansion is reportedly to be done in two phases, taking over large tracts of lands owned by citizens in the governorates of Qalqiliya and Tulkarm. According to the project, which bears the number (11134/m-a),  the first phase will include the establishment of 700 new housing units at the expense of large areas of Kafr Lakef village in Qalqilya, while the second phase will include 1400 new housing units using considerable areas of Abu Hamada and Kafr Abbush in Tulkarm governorate. The Ariel settlement project, the largest since 2010, apparently requires an expansion of the border region at the expense of the Green Line, where large areas of the Jayyous and Kufr Jamal villages might be taken over to link the new settlement units in Tesfim, built on the land of the Jaljuliya, Prophet Elias and Jayyous towns. Israeli bulldozers have reportedly continued, for the third consecutive day, dredging the western side of the Rotem settlement built in ??Wadi al-Maleh. Resident Mohammed Makhamra said the razing  was aimed at seizing lands, and 500 acres would be annexed to Rotem. He explained that a large force of the Israeli army was surrounding the target area to protect the equipment and secure the accelerated operations. ??Wadi al-Maleh will allegedly be fully merged into the settlement. Local Palestinian officials have accused Rotem settlers of attacking people of the area.