Area C is an Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Claim
The Israeli government has approved initial plans for thousands of new housing units in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, along with hundreds of Palestinian units in Area C, the part of the West Bank under full control of the Israeli government.
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On Thursday, the Israeli media reported that Israel will allow the Palestinian Authority to build 1,000 housing units in Area C.
The report said that it is the first time in so many years that Israel allows the Palestinians to build in an area under its full control in the West Bank.
Misbar’s Analysis
MENA: A senior Palestinian official has condemned Israel's claim that it allowed the construction of houses in Area C in the West Bank as "deceptive and misleading."
Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said in a statement that "the Israeli government is misleading the public opinion of the world," the Xinhua news agency reported.
"Area C is an occupied territory, where Israel carried out mass demolitions of Palestinian homes, stole Palestinian lands," Majdalani said, adding that it violates international laws.
The Peace Accords, signed between Israel and the PLO in 1993, have divided the West Bank into three areas: Area A under the full control of the Palestinian Authority, Area B under joint Israeli-Palestinian control, and Area C under full Israeli control.
What is Area C?
Area C is the largest section of the West Bank, comprising about 60 percent of the Palestinian territory.
It is also the site of the vast majority of the more than 200 illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, where more than 400,000 settlers live.
The situation in Area C:
A third of Palestinian communities in Area C lack a primary school, forcing children to travel or walk long distances to reach the nearest school. More than 70% of communities in Area C are not connected to a water network. Nearly half of Area C Palestinian communities report that the long distances hamper their access to emergency and primary health care to the nearest clinic or the need to pass through checkpoints.
However, Israel bans the entry of Palestinians unless they have special permits issued by the military.
While Israel decided to build housing units in Area C, it will build over 2200 units for Israelis in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians firmly rejected the deal, insisting that all settlements are illegal and should be removed from the occupied territories.
Palestinian officials stated that the approval of a few hundred housing units for Palestinians can not cover up discrimination and does not change the fact that Israel maintains an illegal regime of occupation and discrimination in the territories.
