Israeli occupation authorities approved the confiscation of more Palestinian lands in the occupied city of Jerusalem; In favor of settlement expansion in the city.
The Israeli Walla website, according to a translation of Safa news agency, stated that the local committee for planning and building in Jerusalem approved the confiscation of Palestinian lands for the purpose of building facilities for settlers and roads in the Givat Hamatos area, east of Jerusalem.
The confiscation process will affect and limit the geographical contiguity of the Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
The announcement of the confiscation came during the visit of the Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to the United States, and after his meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington.
The Israeli District Planning and Building Committee had previously approved the construction of 2,600 settlement units in the area in 2014, before the plan was frozen due to international pressure.
The plan that was approved today includes ten structures and 38 settlement units.
European Union Foreign Minister Josep Borrell condemned today's announcement, expressing his concern that the move would limit the chances of establishing a Palestinian state with geographical contiguity. The representative of the European Union is scheduled to visit the confiscated area tomorrow.
The Givat HaMatos area, Tal Al-Taira, is located south of occupied Jerusalem, where it is bordered by the village of Beit Safafa from the west, the Gilo settlement neighborhood from the south, and the settler neighborhood of Tel Piot from the north.