Dr. Saeb Erakat on the approval of 130 housing units in the settlement of Gilo: “It seems that Israel has begun its annual tradition of 'Christmas gifts’ to the people of Bethlehem”

Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erakat, condemns Israeli Jerusalem Municipality approval for construction of 130 housing units in the illegal settlement of Gilo, located between Bethlehem and occupied East Jerusalem.

“It seems that Israel has begun its annual tradition of 'Christmas gifts’ to the people of Bethlehem,” Dr. Erakat said, adding that “last year’s 'gift’ was the expansion of Har Homa, also on Bethlehem’s land. Apparently, every December, Israel pushes on its agenda to further isolate Bethlehem from occupied East Jerusalem.”

Commenting on the Israeli allegation that Gilo is not a settlement but a “neighborhood” of Jerusalem, Dr. Erakat said, “under international law there is no difference between Jerusalem, Tulkarem and Gaza City, all of them are part of the occupied Palestinian territory. Therefore Israeli activity in this area is part of its settlement enterprise,” adding that “Gilo and other incorrectly-termed 'neighborhoods’ represent an existential threat to the two-state solution as it is part of a ring of illegal settlements that severs East Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied West Bank, and in particular from Bethlehem.”

Built in 1971, mainly on land confiscated from Beit Jala, Sharafat and Beit Safafa, Gilo is located in the occupied Palestinian territory. It is considered illegal by the international community, including the United Nations and the European Union. Like all other Israeli settlements, it constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998).