Israel began Wednesday to install houses at its first new settlement in about 25 years, says Agence France Presse (AFP).
“A number of prefabricated mobile homes were delivered to the site that will become Amichai, the first new settlement sanctioned by the Israeli government since 1991,” per AFP’s YouTube page. Note that in Israel, or other nations that don’t have the HUD Code for manufactured housing, the term ‘mobile home’ may not be as problematic as it is here in the U.S.
“A number of prefabricated mobile homes were delivered to the site that will become Amichai, the first new settlement sanctioned by the Israeli government since 1991,” per Lebanon’s Daily Star.
Britain’s The Guardian reported a year ago that thousands of homes were authorized by the Israeli government, once President Donald J. Trump was inaugurated. It’s a hot button issue in the Arab-Israeli peace process.
“A number of settlements built without permits from the government have been retroactively legalized in that time, and existing settlements have expanded exponentially,” said the Daily Star.
Amichai is located in the northern West Bank, near the Shilo settlement. It is in Palestinian territory occupied by Israel for 50 years, as a result of the 1967 Middle Eastern conflict.
“All settlement construction is considered illegal under international law,” says the Daily Star, “but Israel distinguishes between those it sanctions and those it doesn’t.”
The settlement is being built for about 40 families that were evicted from Amona, a community built without Israeli permits. That community was demolished in February 2017.
The demolition came after Israel’s supreme court concluded it was built on private Palestinian land. But the ruling was heavily criticized by many members of Israel’s right-wing government.
The families were expected to move in in about a month, said Israel Ganz, vice-president of the Binyamin Regional Council which manages settlements in this part of the West Bank.
“To see 40 families here is a first step but we dream of seeing hundreds of families on these hills,” he added, pointing to the surrounding area. More than 600,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel has turned to prefabricated homes for years as part of their affordable housing planning.
It is part of a trend of greater acceptance of prefab housing globally.
For a related international prefab story, click the link above. ## (News, analysis, and commentary.)
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