WEST BANK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Abdul Rahman Shadid, a senior Hamas official, has warned of the implications of Israel’s approval of 576 new settlement housing units in the occupied West Bank, describing the move as a dangerous escalation in Israel’s settlement expansion policies.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Shadid said the decision represents “a further escalation of Israel’s aggression and terrorism against Palestinian land and people,” saying that it reflects the determination of Israel’s far-right government to advance annexation, displacement, and settlement expansion aimed at consolidating control over the entire West Bank.
He added that the acceleration of settlement activity would be met with greater Palestinian steadfastness and resistance, stressing that Palestinians would not relinquish any part of their land and that the resilience of the Palestinian people remains a barrier against attempts to impose new realities on the ground.
Shadid emphasized that the resistance remains committed to defending Palestinian rights and land and to confronting settlement and Judaization projects. He further noted that such projects cannot grant legitimacy to the occupation and that every new settlement decision constitutes “a political crime and a blatant violation of international law” that should lead to accountability for Israeli leaders and settlers.
He also called for intensified popular resistance and grassroots mobilization, urging increased activities in areas of confrontation to challenge land confiscation and settlement expansion policies.
Finally, Shadid urged the international community, the United Nations, and international institutions to move beyond verbal condemnation and take concrete action to halt settlement construction, annexation policies, and the ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinian people, their land, and their holy sites.
