The Israeli occupation authorities are planning to build more settlement units at the entrance to the town of Jabal Mukaber, southeast of Jerusalem, with the aim of expanding the settlement of Nof Zion, so that it becomes the largest settlement deep in the neighborhoods of the city of Jerusalem.

According to what Hebrew sources published earlier, the occupation’s planning committee in Jerusalem discussed the plan, which would contribute not only to the significant expansion of the aforementioned settlement and its size, but would also link it to the neighboring settlement east of Talpiot, “Armon Hanatziv.”

In this context, political analyst Rasem Obeidat said in a press interview that the settlement of Nof Zion, located on the lands of Jabal Mukaber, began operating in 1993 after the confiscation of these lands from their owners by a settler named Aboud Levy, who claimed that he owned these lands, covering an area of 114 dunams, and the occupation government, in addition to the occupation municipality, cooperated with him in controlling more of the properties of the Palestinian residents in that area.

Obaidat explained that construction on this settlement was delayed until 2002, and later the first phase of the settlement was completed, where approximately 96 settlement units were built until 2010, after which the second phase of the project began, where 167 more settlement units were built, in addition to building another section that will consist of 128 settlement units, bringing the total number of settlement units to approximately 400.

He pointed out that the settlement construction plan includes a hotel area with 275 hotel units and 100 new settlement units, which means that we are facing 500 settlement units.