"Digital Settlement".. Daily Economic Bleeding from the Pocket of the Palestinian Citizen

Sada News - In light of the complex economic and political reality in Palestine, and the loss of thousands of Palestinians' sources of income due to settlement and land confiscation, the Israeli occupation has not only controlled the land but has also extended deeper through expanded technological settlement.

The Israeli occupation plants its towers in Hebron Governorate and various areas of the West Bank, thus controlling both the land and broadcasting, which is considered a form of settlement.

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The telecommunications sector is considered one of the most important pillars of the national economy, which Israel is destroying while violating all agreements. It even attempts to legitimize this through the Israeli Communications Law issued in 1982, which considers the West Bank as territory belonging to "the State of Israel".

In addition to claiming the settlers' need to contact emergency teams in many areas where the network does not reach.
Ameer Dawood, the documentation director at the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, confirmed during his talk with Sada News that "this law is one of the first laws and measures taken by the occupying state as part of its preparation for annexation operations and imposing sovereignty over Palestinian lands".

He added: "It is important to emphasize that the annexation project and the imposition of sovereignty are not carried out through a single step, but are being worked on through multiple and simultaneous paths. This reflects that the idea of annexation is neither new nor emergent after 2020, but is part of the Israeli vision since the beginning of the occupation, as Israel views Palestinian lands as annexable at any moment".

Dawood pointed out that "the number of Israeli telecommunications towers established on West Bank lands reached 559 towers by the end of 2020, distributed across Palestinian geography, reflecting a part of the policies of control and imposing facts on the ground".

Endless illegal powers are granted to Israeli companies without regulatory approvals, while Palestinian companies are prevented from improving their infrastructure and face restrictions that encircle and limit their operations.

For his part, Laith Draghmeh, the executive director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, confirmed to Sada News the existence of real challenges facing the Palestinian telecommunications sector, especially in light of the unregulated expansion of Israeli telecommunications towers in Palestinian territories, stating: "We are indeed facing a problem related to the presence of high towers belonging to Israeli telecommunications companies in our areas, without any entities imposing restrictions on them or preventing their presence".

Draghmeh indicated that the authority received several complaints last month regarding Palestinian towers in some areas, explaining: "We communicated with the local community in those areas, held direct meetings with our technical and executive teams, and provided the necessary awareness about the nature of tower operations and the commitment of Palestinian companies to specifications and standards to ensure the best possible service for citizens".

He also emphasized that "the authority, in cooperation with Palestinian companies, is working to overcome many technical and administrative challenges, and is continuously striving to remove obstacles and improve the telecommunications sector in Palestine, despite the political conditions and imposed restrictions".

In light of all this, the Palestinian telecommunications sector stands shackled.. It faces a complex challenge represented by the illegal expansion of Israeli telecommunications companies within the West Bank, and the resulting economic losses.