The Jewish Settlements Council in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will mount a campaign next week to lure Israelis to move to "settlements" on occupied Palestinian land, since many previous residents have fled the Intifada, reported the official Kuwaiti news agency, KUNA, quoting Israeli media reports.
Israeli Army Radio on Wednesday reported that the new campaign aimed to cope with ongoing flight by settlers to areas behind the Green Line, which separates the Occupied Territories from Israel.
The settlements exist in violation of international law, which prohibits the settlement of conquered land.
The Economist last fall reported that Israel had also flaunted the 1993 Oslo peace accords by settling thousands of its citizens on land conquered in the 1967 war with the Arabs.
However, the settlement policy has been, in a small way, reversed by the wave of flight, which is reportedly being caused by the Al Aqsa Intifada that erupted 11 months ago.
The settlers fled to Israel “because of the lack of security [in the Occupied Territories],” said the head of Binyamina regional council.
The settler leader said the number of new settlers was increasing, but not at a satisfactory rate.
He said that Sanur, established in 1984 near Jenin in the West Bank, was the first settlement to be evacuated.
The evacuation took place when three settlers were killed in the nearby Homesh settlement.
The settlement, now guarded by Israeli occupation forces, now stands deserted amid vain attempts to persuade Israelis to move in, the report said - Albawaba.com
