Netanyahu endorses expansion
​of Betar Illit—take action 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the illegal settlement of Betar Illit in early August to celebrate the groundbreaking of its newest neighborhood. 

In a cornerstone-laying ceremony on Thursday, August 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu symbolically scooped cement for a new 1,100-unit expansion of the ultra-orthodox Betar Illit settlement on lands belonging to the West Bank village of Wadi Foquin. The new units will cover a third hilltop overlooking the Palestinian village.
 
According to Wadi Foquin Mayor Ahmad Sokar, Israeli forces closed off the only entrance to the village with dirt mounds for several hours because of the event, preventing residents from passing.
 
The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu told the gathering, “We’re working energetically to settle all parts of the country,” signaling that the expansion of Betar Illit is part of an accelerated plan to fulfill the vision of a Greater Israel. Netanyahu proudly stated, “There is no government that does more for the settlement of the land of Israel than this government under my leadership.” http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahu-Were-connecting-Beitar-Illit-settlement-to-Jerusalem-501512
 
Part of the larger plan will link Betar Illit to Jerusalem by building a new road that would shorten the commute time to 15 to 20 minutes. Not only are Wadi Foquin leaders concerned about this latest expansion of Betar Illit, but with plans for new road development they fear the closure of their current access road.
 
Since construction of Betar Illit began in 1987 on the east side of Wadi Foquin, the Israeli government has annexed hundreds of acres of village land for the settlement’s development, destroying grazing lands, orchards, natural springs, and farmland in the process. In addition, according to Wadi Foquin community development director Ata Manasra, about 25 acres of cropland have been contaminated by sewage discharge from Betar Illit, now estimated to house more than 50,000 settlers, making it the second-largest settlement in the West Bank. Settlements are now also encroaching on the village from the Israeli town of Tzur Hadassa on the west.
 
The Israeli government has helped establish about 125 of these Jewish-only neighborhoods on Palestinian lands since capturing the West Bank in 1967, spending billions of dollars on homes, roads, gas and electricity, water, and communications to support them. Settlements are considered illegal under several international laws, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 49, Paragraph 6, which reads: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” Since 1967 every U.S. administration has opposed the settlements and has viewed settlement expansion as a major obstacle to peace in the region. 

​Speak out against the expansion 

​​• Call the State Department at (202) 647-6575 to oppose expansion of the illegal settlement of Betar Illit. Request international intervention.
​
Suggested script: “It has come to my attention that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu participated in a public ceremony on August 3rd, announcing 1,100 new settlement units on land belonging to the Palestinian village of Wadi Foquin. This is a defiant violation of international law and undermines any prospects for peace. I urge the State Department to initiate intervention to block this and any other planned settlement expansions.”

• Call your U.S. representatives and senators and ask them to call the State Department with the same request.

​Friends of Wadi Foquin is planning a visit  to Washington, D.C. to underscore the urgency of the situation.

​Village leader to visit California in September 

​Ata Manasra, coordinator of the Narjes community development project in Wadi Foquin, will visit the California-Nevada Annual Conference Sept. 10–20 for an educational and fundraising speaking tour. The following speaking engagements are open to the public:

​9/11: 7pm, Central UMC Stockton, 3700 Pacific Ave., Stockton (Fireside Room). Cosponsored by the Cal-Nev Israel-Palestine Task Force.
9/12: 6:30pm Creekside UMC, 14 Main St., Sutter Creek (social hall)
9/13: 4pm, First UMC of Loomis, 6414 Brace Rd., Loomis
9/14: 12 noon, St. Mark’s UMC, 2391 St. Marks Way, Sacramento (bring your own lunch)
9/17: 10:30am worship, Lake Merritt UMC, 1330 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland
9/17: 7pm, Lynnewood UMC, 4444 Black Ave., Pleasanton 
​9/18: 7pm, Berkeley Methodist United, 1710 Carleton St., Berkeley. Cosponsored by FOSNA, JVP-BA, and MECA.

Click here for flyer.

New road opens in Wadi Foquin

Wadi Foquin Mayor Ahmad Sokar speaking at the Aug. 24, 2017, inauguration of a new road built in the village by USAID/ANERA—a project initiated during the mayor's visit to Washington, DC, in 2014—plus before and after photos. For a short video of the celebration, click here .