Israeli settlements threaten to engulf West Bank communities
Israel announced a project to build a water pipeline connecting two settlements in southern Nablus, which raises Palestinians' fears that a larger plan is in the works to divide the West Bank.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials are warning that a water pipeline Israel plans to build across southwest Nablus will wreak havoc on Palestinian agricultural lands and is a scheme to form a large settlement bloc separating Nablus from Ramallah in the West Bank.
On Dec. 9, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ramallah accused Israel of trying to impose a de facto situation, in case Israeli-Palestinian negotiations resume. The ministry said it is working with the concerned associations to prepare a case against the plan and raise the matter before international courts and organizations focusing on Israel’s settlement activity.
