Mr. Alex Dunne:

I reiterate that the idea of this being a normal planning process is a misnomer. The body that takes care of planning and zoning in the West Bank is the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territory unit, or COGAT, which is part of the Israeli military. On its website, the group is described as a military authority that serves the needs of the settlements while overseeing the planning and zoning of Palestinian communities. That is a fundamental conflict of interest. Settlement communities in the West Bank under COGAT jurisdiction have representation on planning and zoning matters, while Palestinians do not. This is not consistent with Israel's obligation under international law - the Fourth Geneva Convention - to administer the territory it occupies for the benefit of the protected persons it occupies, in other words, the Palestinians living in the area. This is clearly a misnomer as it is not a normal planning process.