A protest against SodaStream outside of John Lewis in London, organized by local Palestine Solidarity activists (Photo: Al Ittihad)

Major Israeli Construction Enterprise and SodaStream Pull Out of Occupied Palestinian Territories

Last Monday, the Israeli daily newpaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Africa Israel Investments, an international holding and investment company based in Israel, will no longer build homes in the West Bank or East Jerusalem. This decision comes after years during which Africa Israel’s daughter company, Danya Cebus, repeatedly flaunted international law by constructing settlement homes…

MK Khenin during a meeting for the preservation of coasts (Photo: Zalul)

Gov’t committee tasked to advise how to proceed with obsolete beach construction plans

The Inter-ministerial Committee for Legislation ordered on Monday the establishment of a new inter-ministerial committee tasked with advising the government on how to proceed with obsolete beach construction plans. The ministers made the decision to establish the new committee following a discussion about a bill to amend the 2004 Law for Preservation of Coasts, supported…

Demonstration against settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem, May 2011 (Photo: Activestills)

New constructions in the settlements more than doubled in 2013

The number of new housing constructions initiations in the occupied West Bank increased by 123.7 percent last year, according to Israeli official government data released last Monday. The Palestinians, Hadash  and the Israeli peace movements have long viewed Israeli settlement construction as a major obstacle to peace talks, arguing that Israel is actively building on…

A new settlement on A-Dik Palestinian village terrains (Photo: Activestills)

Peace Now: 70% rise in settlement construction starts

New settlement construction starts rose by 70% in the first half of 2013 compared with a year earlier, Peace Now said Thursday, describing the increase as “drastic”. According to figures released by the anti-settler group Peace Now, the construction of 1,708 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem began between January and June…

Construction in settlements hits seven-year high

Official Israeli figures show new housing constructions in settlements rose significantly in the first three months of 2013 compared to the same period last year. A report on new housing constructions released by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics showed that housing development in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank jumped from 313…