Palestinians protest as Israeli forces demolish Palestinian structures in Masafer Yatta, in AlKhalil, in the occupied West Bank. (File photo: APA)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates warned Saturday of an Israeli plan to evict Palestinians in AlKhalil’s Yatta town and the planned construction of 3,988 settler housing units in the occupied West Bank, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
Ministry spokesperson Haitham Abu Alfoul said the settlement expansion is a flagrant breach of international law and resolutions, foremost of which is the Security Council Resolution No. 2334.
Abu Alfoul stressed that Israel’s settlement policy, whether in establishing or expanding settlements, seizing lands, or forcibly displacing Palestinians, is an illegal policy which Jordan rejects and condemns.
He also described the policy as a unilateral step that violates international law, undermines the foundation of the peace process, efforts to resolve the conflict, achieving just and comprehensive solution and opportunities for the two-state solution based on international legitimacy resolutions.
Meanwhile, the Arab League on Saturday warned against Israel's approval of the construction of 4,000 new housing units in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, and the demolition of 12 villages south of AlKhalil.
In a press statement the Arab League said that Israel’s settlement plans are tantamount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, as they displace thousands of people.
It cautioned that the Israeli schemes, which are part of escalating attacks on the Palestinian people, will have adverse repercussions on international security and stability.
These reactions came as Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta vowed to stay despite Israel's High Court ruling late Wednesday night that the Israeli army could evict them.
Israeli rights group B'Tselem, said: “The justices have thus proved once again that the occupied cannot expect justice from the occupier's court.”
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), which along with Masafer Yatta residents petitioned against the expulsion, said the verdict would have “unprecedented consequences.”
“The Supreme Court has officially authorized leaving entire families, with their children and their elderly, without a roof over their heads,” ACRI said in a statement.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory also warned that the recent Israeli Supreme Court’s rejection of petitions against eviction orders of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank is an act of forcible transfer.