Israeli settlement on Unesco heritage site an 'imminent threat' to area, campaigners say

'Smotrich made the announcement on his X account, calling it a 'historic moment', and adding: 'No anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist decision will stop the further development of the settlement'.

'Based on the settlers' past experience, it is highly likely that parts of the land outside the blue line [settlement borders] will be incorporated into the settlement, and Palestinians will be denied access to their land,' the organization stated in a press release.

'The plan will claim more than 150 acres of the Unesco-listed Land of Olives and Vines-cultural landscapes of Southern Jerusalem, Battir. The area... features ancient terraces and sophisticated irrigation systems that bear witness to thousands of years of human activity.'

'In the southern part of the Unesco property, settlers have already begun encroaching on Palestinian land outside the boundaries of the planned Nahal Heletz settlement.'

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