New “Israeli” settlement established within the “Gush Etzion” bloc, south of the West Bank

WEST BANK, Sept. 03 (YPA) – Israeli occupation authorities inaugurated a new settlement called “Ma’ale Arugot” within the Gush Etzion bloc in the southern West Bank, in the presence of ministers and Knesset members, as part of escalating settlement activity and the imposition of new facts on the ground.

The Hebrew Channel 7 reported that the settlement is the third to be established in recent months, and is located on an axis connecting the western and eastern parts of the Gush Etzion bloc, situated between Bethlehem and Hebron. The regional council of the bloc stated that the goal is to strengthen the settlement presence and connect the different parts of the bloc.

This was preceded two days earlier by the inauguration of two other new settlements: “Makida” northwest of Hebron, and “Noa” south of the settlements of “Ganim” and “Kedim” southeast of Jenin.

Thus, the Israeli government has advanced three new settlement projects in just a few days, indicating an acceleration of settlement expansion since the formation of Netanyahu’s government in late 2022.

More than 750,000 settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, distributed across 141 settlements and 224 outposts, despite the international community and the United Nations considering these territories occupied.