Press Release
Continued Settlement Expansion in the South of Gaza Strip
Date: 9 November 1999
Ref: 114/99
The settlers have continued their intensive wave of activities aimed at controlling more Palestinian land by expanding established settlements and establishing a new settlement out post. For the past five days, the settlers, under the protection and backing of the Israeli occupation forces, have been carrying out widespread excavating activities in the area located to the south of Ganei Tal settlement, to the west of El Amel Camp in Khan Younis. The area of land being excavated is, according to PCHR’s field reports, approximately 100 dunnams.
Meanwhile, in the Gush Katif settlements there has been an intense effort to build greenhouses within the settlement area. During the last month 30 greenhouses, each of which is about 2 dunnams in size, have been built. Moreover, the Israeli regional electricity company workers have established a high-pressure electricity network on land from Mawasi Al Garara. The excavation of this land last month created difficulties for Palestinian farmers in accessing their land in the area in order to plant it.
In a following step, on 5 and 7 November 1999, the settlers completed the construction of a dirt road surrounding about 163 dunnams of land allocated alongside Peat Sadeh settlement. The land was surrounded in order to pave the way to annex it to the Peat Sadeh settlement from the north. The land in question is part of Rafah Mawasi, a Yellow Area.
Noticeable and intensive settlement activities are taking place in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the last six months. PCHR has published many press releases in this regard.
PCHR condemns the expansionist settlement policy adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities and reaffirms that this policy contradicts international law and United Nations General Assembly resolutions. PCHR repeats its call for the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to take seriously their responsibilities to end these Israeli crimes in the OPTs.