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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 11 March 2022
Trump-era Israeli settlement growth proceeds in his absence

By JOSEPH KRAUSS live in more open spaces,
Associated Press and the same is happening
JERUSALEM (AP) — The in Israel,” Gordon said.
growth of Israel’s West Bank His figures do not include
settler population acceler- east Jerusalem, which Isra-
ated last year, according el annexed in a move not
to figures released by a pro- recognized internationally,
settler group on Thursday, and which is now home to
despite renewed American more than 200,000 Jewish
pressure to rein in construc- settlers. The West Bank and
tion on occupied territory east Jerusalem are togeth-
that the Palestinians want er home to some 3 million
for a future state. Palestinians.
The figures show that a Israel captured both territo-
settlement surge initiated ries, along with Gaza, in the
when President Donald 1967 Mideast war. The Pal-
Trump was in office shows estinians view the growth
no sign of slowing down. of settlements as the main
Trump provided unprec- obstacle to peace be-
edented support for Israel’s cause they cut off Palestin-
claims to land seized in ian communities from their
war, reversing decades of land and from one anoth-
U.S. policy. er, and make it nearly im-
President Joe Biden’s ad- A general view shows the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, Thursday, March 10, 2022. possible to create a viable
ministration has returned Associated Press state. Settlements have ex-
to the previous approach, panded under every Israeli
criticizing settlement ex- months. The population its CEO, Baruch Gordon, age birth rate. Many Israelis government, even at the
pansion as an obstacle to has risen by 16.5% since the including in his community are drawn to the state-sub- height of the peace pro-
resolving the conflict. But Is- group began compiling of Beit El, just outside the sidized settlements for the cess in the 1990s.
rael has continued to build statistics in 2017, it says. West Bank city of Ramal- quality of life. There have been no serious
and expand settlements, Israel’s overall annual lah, where the Palestinian They resemble suburbs or peace negotiations in over
and major road projects growth rate, by compari- Authority is headquartered. small towns and offer lower a decade, and Israel’s cur-
are expected to bring son, is around 1.7%. In 2020, “Right now there’s 350 units housing prices than Israel’s rent prime minister, Naftali
even more settlers into the the last year of the Trump going up that will probably crowded and increas- Bennett, is a former settler
territory. administration, which also be finished within a year, ingly unaffordable cities. leader opposed to Pales-
The statistics, compiled by saw repeated coronavirus year and a half. So when The pandemic might have tinian statehood.
WestBankJewishPopula- lockdowns, the settler pop- that hits, that’s going to in- made the settlements even Israel’s political system is
tionStats.com and based ulation in the West Bank crease the size of our town more attractive. dominated by pro-settler
on official figures, show grew by 2.6%, according by about 25%,” he said. “Just like in America, peo- parties that view the West
the settler population grew to the group. “There’s a tre- The settler population tends ple moved out of Manhat- Bank as the biblical and
to 490,493 as of Jan. 30, mendous amount of con- to be younger and more re- tan and went to suburbs historical heartland of the
a nearly 3.2% rise over 13 struction going on,” said ligious, with a higher aver- and found that they could Jewish people. q

On appeal, U.N.-backed court convicts 2 in Hariri killing

THE HAGUE, Netherlands invalidating the Judgment originally cleared in August the time as a co-conspira- issi will be sentenced at a
(AP) — Appeals judges at and errors of fact occa- 2020 of involvement in the tor on five charges linked to later date and issued fresh
a United Nations-backed sioning a miscarriage of jus- assassination outside a sea- his involvement in the 2005 arrest warrants for both
tribunal on Thursday over- tice,” the tribunal said in a side hotel in Beirut. A third suicide truck bombing that men following Thursday’s
turned the acquittals of statement. Hezbollah member, Salim killed Hariri and 21 others convictions.
two members of Lebanon’s Merhi and Oneissi were Ayyash, was convicted at and wounded 226 people. Farrell said “accountability
militant Hezbollah group Prosecutors said Merhi does not end with their con-
in the 2005 assassination and Oneissi played “a sig- viction. Merhi and Oneissi,
of former Lebanese Prime nificant role” in the plot by along with their co-conspir-
Minister Rafik Hariri. distributing a video with a ator Salim Ayyash remain
The five-judge appeals false claim of responsibility fugitives. Justice demands
panel at the Special Tribu- after the bombing. that they be arrested.”
nal for Lebanon convicted “The acts for which they The tribunal’s 2020 verdict
Hassan Habib Merhi and have been convicted were was met with anger and
Hussein Hassan Oneissi of callous and manipulative, disappointment in parts of
five charges linked to the designed not only to shield Lebanon after judges said
assassination, including the real perpetrators from there was no evidence that
conspiracy to commit a justice but to deceive the Hezbollah’s leadership and
terrorist act and being ac- Lebanese people,” Pros- Syria were involved in the
complices to intentional ecutor Norman Farrell said attack, despite saying the
homicide. in a statement. assassination happened as
The unanimous appeals All the suspects were tried Hariri and his political allies
decision said that judges Rescue workers and soldiers stand around a massive crater after in their absence as they were discussing calling for
a bomb attack that tore through the motorcade of former Prime
in the original trial verdict Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 14, 2005. were never arrested. The Syria to withdraw its forces
“committed errors of law Associated Press court said Merhi and One- from Lebanon.q