Palestine Condemns Israeli Funding for Settlement Roads

Ramallah (ANTARA) - The Palestinian government has condemned Israel’s approval of funding amounting to around $300 million (1 USD = IDR 17,425) for the construction of settlement roads in the West Bank, calling it a “blatant violation” of international law. In a statement following its weekly meeting in Ramallah on Tuesday (5/5), the Palestinian government said the move supports settlement expansion and is occurring amid escalating violence. The statement noted that more than 1,600 attacks by settlers and Israeli forces were recorded in April alone, including assaults, crop destruction, and home demolitions. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Israeli government has approved funding of more than 1 billion shekels (1 shekel = IDR 5,939) for the road project, with initial planning funds already allocated. Israel seized the West Bank during the 1967 war, and its settlement expansion is widely considered illegal by most of the international community. Separately, the Palestinian government has warned of the spread of a “serious disease” in Gaza due to poor sanitation, water pollution, and damaged waste disposal systems. The Palestinian government stated that populations of insects and rodents are increasing, urging immediate international aid. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said Gaza residents are increasingly suffering from skin infections. UNRWA teams are handling around 40 per cent of reported cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported more than 17,000 cases of rodent- and parasite-related infections so far this year.