Ramallah: An Israeli regime plan to confiscate Palestinian land in Occupied Jerusalem to turn into a landfill has condemend by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
According to Ahmad Qurei, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the PLO Jerusalem Affairs Department, Israeli authorities are currently in the process of approving plans to seize 546 dunums of Palestinian land between Anata and Al Esawiyah within the boundaries of Occupied Jerusalem.
Qurei said in a statement that Israel desperately wants a solid waste-treatment project.
Last week, the Israel regional council approved the plan proposed by the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, despite fierce challenges to the project from other Israeli authorities which believe the landfill plan poses a danger to the expansion of the city of Jerusalem from the east.
On these grounds, the occupation municipality in Jerusalem had failed to win the support of the city council and later decided to move the entire project to the regional council which then approved the project.
“This is yet another serious Israeli violation added to the current daily violations Israel commits in planned steps to judaize Jerusalem entirely,” said Qurei.
“Israel aims to enhance its control and strengthen its grip over the holy city in all possible ways leaving no possible place for Palestinians.”
Qurei said that Israeli landfill project No. 13900 stipulates the creation of a landfill for the solid waste management and that the targeted area includes a 745 meter deep well called Wadi Qasem into which solid waste will be dumped.
He said that 150 Palestinians live around Wadi Qasem and Israel has already finalized plans to kick them off their land to commence earmarking the area and constructing the infrastructure project.
The Israeli regime plans to create special roads and streets to connect the landfill and intends to seize huge areas of the Palestinian owned lands to enable this to happen.
“This is an extremely dangerous issue which should be confronted by all possible means - Palestinians should not be silent about it at all,” Qurei warned.
