Israeli settlement plan in West Bank stirs tensions ahead of Biden trip - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Ahmad Melhem

Ahmad Melhem

Jun 24, 2022

Bedouins' sheep and structures are pictured in the village of Humsah al-Baqia in the Israeli occupied West Bank. — Bedouins' sheep and structures are pictured in the village of Humsah al-Baqia in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Feb. 14, 2021. Humsah al-Baqia lies in the Jordan Valley, a fertile and strategic patch of land that runs from Lake Tiberias to the Dead Sea, which also is at the center of the battle for the future the West Bank. — JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

US President Joe Biden and outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Nafali Bennett had hoped for ‘calm’ ahead of Biden’s visit, but Israeli settlement plans may make that unrealistic. Reports of a new massive settlement project in the West Bank are proving controversial among Palestinians.

Israel Hayom newspaper revealed June 13 a settlement plan to build a national park covering around 1 million dunams (a dunam equals 1,000 square meters) between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea in the West Bank.

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