No settlement freeze, especially not in isolated settlements

Published: 16 February 2016

Last updated: 4 March 2024

No settlement freeze, especially not in isolated settlements – 2015 in the Settlements - Settlement Watch, Peace Now, February 2016
The Israeli government often claims that construction is limited to the ‘settlement blocs’ that will be retained by Israel in exchange for land swaps in any future permanent status agreement. However, such ‘blocs’ have never been defined, let alone agreed between the parties, and they continue to be ‘filled in’ and expanded. Despite Israeli government declarations of a ‘freeze’, construction on the ground continued in full force during 2015, most of it in isolated settlements, providing housing for thousands more settlers who would probably have to be evacuated under a permanent status agreement.

Some main findings:

Of 1,800 housing units in the settlements whose construction began in 2015, 1,422 (79%) were in isolated settlements that will probably require evacuation under a permanent status agreement.

Since Netanyahu’s election as PM in 2009, 8,645 housing units have been built in settlements east of the Geneva Initiative outline, comprising 68% of all construction in the settlements and providing housing for approximately 40,000 new settlers who would have to be evacuated under a permanent status agreement.

Over 40% of the construction during 2015 (746 housing units) was conducted in settlements east of the planned separation barrier's outline. Since Netanyahu was elected PM in 2009, 4,621 housing units have been built east of the barrier, providing housing potential for over 20,000 settlers.

In addition, infrastructure of lots has been developed for construction of at least another 734 housing units and construction is expected to begin soon. This is under previously approved plans, which Peace Now estimates allow for construction of about 20,000 housing units.

265 housing units (15%) were built in illegal outposts.

1,547 of the housing units are permanent structures and 253 are mobile units.

In addition, 63 public structures (synagogues, kindergartens, etc.) and 42 industrial or agricultural structures were constructed.

According to Peace Now estimates and based on Civil Administration data, 32 housing units were built on private Palestinian land, almost all of them in illegal outposts.

A new illegal outpost was established south of the Nofei Prat settlement – in an area in which the government operates intensively to demolish Bedouin houses along Route 1 toward Jericho. The illegal outpost consists of three new structures and a small agricultural area. The road towards them was paved illegally and goes through private Palestinian land.

Tenders – Despite the declared “tenders freeze”, tenders for 1,1,43 new housing units were published in 2015, 560 in the West Bank and 583 in East Jerusalem

Plans – Despite the declared “planning freeze", the High Planning Committee approved 348 new Housing units.

Three of the plans approved in 2015 were part of a process for retroactively legalising the Elmatan, Sansana and Shvut Rachel illegal outposts, thus in effect establishing new settlements. Peace Now counted 20 new settlements established by the Netanyahu administration since 2009 by way of retrospective legalisation of illegal outposts. In 2015, the government notified the Supreme Court of its intention to validate six more illegal outposts (in other words, to establish them as new settlements): Adei Ad, Esh Kodesh, Kida, Achiya, Mitzpeh Danny and Neveh Erez. ‘The government’s message to the settlers is that in practice there is no need for planning and advance approval of plans, as ultimately the construction will be approved after the fact.’