West Bank, ALRAY - The current reality of settlement expansion on Palestinian lands heads towards the peak, since the number of settlements increased from three present to nine percent of West Bank lands, director Palestinian Observor for Settlement and Apartheid wall Affairs Abdul Latif Khader stated.

Committee for supporting Palestinian detainees and occupied homeland affairs held on Saturday a symposium at the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad about the “reality of settlements, a legal view and ways of resisting it from Palestinians abroad” in Istanbul, Turkey.

He noted that the number of settlements is doubled to reach 149 settlements and 159 settlement spots in 2021, and the number of settlers reached 850.000, 400.000 out of them in occupied Jerusalem.

“Israel exploits the names of closed military zones, and nature reserves to be confiscated and gave to the settlement institutions, in addition to the licenses granted by the occupation authorities to facilitate the establishment of settlements, not to mention the attacks carried out by herds of settlers,” he added.

Lawyer and researcher in international law, Mohamed Youssef talked about the illegality of settlements from the point of view of international law, as the Israeli settlements violate the rules of international and humanitarian law based on the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.

He noted that Israel could be questioned especially the settlements and its products under the international law.

He listed some cases that succussed as the campaign directed against the “Puma” company, which sponsored a soccer team for clubs in the settlements, the “Ben & Jerry’s” company, which withdrew its investments from the settlements; and other institutions based on their violation of international law.

Writer and researcher on Palestinian affairs, Ibrahim Al-Ali said that the Zionist project worked on splitting the Palestinian community in order to weaken it and creating an environment in which the components of this people cannot be reassembled.

He stressed that Palestinians abroad played role in forming awareness regarding the Palestinian right, by talking about the illegality of the occupation and its settlements according to international law, and working to boycott the products of the illegal settlements, which were established on the lands of the Palestinian people, by attracting international activists, and engaging in stands and events in the international arenas.

Popular conference of Palestinians abroad is a gathering that co-founded by Palestinians from different countries of the world, and announced its launch in February 2017 in Turkey, and is based in Beirut, according to its official website.