The Israeli government may be taken to court for alleged illegal construction work in the Jewish settlements, according to human rights and legal activists in Israel. Human rights group Yesh Din says the building of houses and public facilities is often carried out without legal permission.
Yesh Din's lawyer is Michael Sfard of Tel Aviv, who has announced possible legal action to stop the Israeli authorities to continue these practices.
"Israel states that building in settlements is legal, as long as it doesn't happen on privately owned land. It respects property rights of Palestinians, it says. But this statement is simply not true. For years, Israel has built neighbourhoods and all kinds of facilities on private Palestinian land. But authorities never take action, unfortunately."
Database
The announcement by Yesh Din and Mr Sfard may come as a surprise, as Israel has been doing construction work in settlements for decades. But, as Mr Sfard says, a new database - published by the Israeli Ministry of Defence recently - contains many details on this construction work that were not known before. "And these facts are undisputed", Mr Sfard adds. "So it's a very powerful tool for us to use in court".
Yesh Din's announcement comes at a time when the political parties in Israel are gearing up for next week's general elections, with the settlement policy being one of the main topics. Mr Sfard, however, does not believe the outcome of these elections will make any difference.
"A change of government wouldn't have an impact on the question of construction of settlements. My concern as an Israeli human rights activist is: will the next government protect the rights of Palestinians, as it is bound to by international law and morality?. To be honest, I have my doubts."
Other problems
Mr Sfard notes that the alleged illegal construction work in the settlements is a major problem for any Palestinian living in the occupied areas. Even despite other widely publicized problems like the Gaza war, food shortages and poverty in those territories.
"The settlements in itself create one of the biggest violations of Palestinian human rights. Their impact is much more than just their existence. They impact all aspects of Palestinian life, including the construction of new houses and other buildings. Just try to imagine what it would feel like if someone built something on a piece of land that is yours.
