Israel declares 3,380 dunums “state land” to build illegal settlement in Al-Quds

According to Israel’s Channel 7, Smotrich agreed to the construction of the new settlement of Mishmar Yehuda east of Al-Quds, which will be built on vast tracts of annexed Palestinian land.

The channel said that a total of 3,380 dunums of Palestinian land had been declared state land for the construction of Mishmar Yehuda.

“In February 2024, the diplomatic-security Cabinet announced the establishment of Mishmar Yehuda. Since then, all procedures for establishing the new settlement have been advancing rapidly. At the same time, the first detailed urban plan for the settlement is already being advanced, and includes approximately 3,600 housing units,” the channel added.

The channel said that Smotrich called the project a “planned, large, and beautiful city that would serve as a strategic anchor for protecting Jerusalem from the east.”

Smotrich also described the project as “another step in advancing de facto sovereignty in the area and halting the idea of establishing an Arab state” in the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to the channel.

Last Thursday, Zionist regime’s security cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Among the newly approved settlements are Ganim and Kadim, which were evacuated in 2005. The decision was made based on a proposal by war minister Yisrael Katz and Smotrich.