Israel announces punitive freeze on Palestinian construction in response to ICJ move

Israel’s new cabinet has blocked all Palestinian Construction in Area C of the occupied West Bank as part of a series of punitive actions against the Palestinian leadership. 

The actions, announced by the Prime Minster’s office on Friday, are in retaliation for the Palestinian Authority approaching the International Court of Justice over Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. 

Area C covers 60 percent of the West Bank, and is under full civilian and military control of Israel. An estimated 300,000 Palestinians live in Area C, where they are routinely subject to harassment, arrests, and home demolitions by Israeli forces. 

Israel denies permits for Palestinians to build on their own land or to extend existing houses to, particularly in occupied East Jerusalem and Area C, forcing residents to build without obtaining permits to provide shelters for their families.

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The cabinet decision is part of a series of measures to reduce funding for the PA and “take action against organizations that promote hostile activity, including political-legal activity against Israel under the guise of humanitarian activity,” according to Israeli outlet Haaretz. 

"The present government will not accept the Palestinian Authority's political and legal war against the State of Israel with open arms, and will respond as necessary," the cabinet decision stated. 

The cabinet decision comes a week after the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution requesting that the International Court of Justice render an opinion on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The development underscores the hard-line approach that Israel’s new extreme right-wing government is taking against the Palestinians, which will likely lead to a rise in violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 

Israel’s new government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, is the most right-wing in its history, according to analysts. It includes Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, extremist settlers who have called for an Israeli annexation of the West Bank. 

Netanyahu's election came at the end of a terrible year for the Palestinians. 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005, according to UN figures.

More than 200 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and Gaza last year.