PLO Official: Israel Controls 95% of Jordan Valley

Arab World

March 25th, 8:37am

Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat

Palestinian farmers on their way back home in Jordan Valley in January, 2019 - EPA

Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) executive committee Saeb Erekat said Israeli settlements' expansion in the Jordan Valley and the dead sea areas is part of the implementation of the annexation, theft and settlements plan, in what he described as "the theft of the century." Citing numbers released by PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department, Erekat said 95% of areas in the Jordan Valley were seized by the Israeli occupation forces benefiting up to 12,700 settlers. Meanwhile, some 55,000 Palestinians live on around only 5% of the area. "The Israeli authorities built four settlements in 2019 in addition to 110 units," he added, noting that Israel also controls 94% of Palestinian water in the Jordan Valley region. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank if he wins elections. Israel plans to annex 800 kilometers of the Jordan Valley, completely dismissing the Palestinians’ say in the matter. Netanyahu stressed that the annexation will take place in agreement with the US administration. The annexation plan announced by Netanyahu in September 2019 includes a blueprint for annexing 22.3% of the West Bank with 30 illegal settlements and 18 illegal settlement outposts.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2198431/plo-official-israel-controls-95-jordan-valley