4 days Ago
After Decades of Winking, Gov't Legalizes Unauthorized Outposts
Many of the new settlements that were approved were previously unauthorized outposts, constructed without the permission of the government. The outposts will now be retroactively legalized under Israeli law, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Katz indicated the new plan was about preventing the emergence of "a Palestinian state", which he insisted would be a threat to Israel's security. In the West Bank, Palestinian officials denounced the decision as a "dangerous escalation" and said it will erode the chances of peace.
International Law and Growing Pains
Settlements are one of the most divisive factors in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Though Israel disputes the legal status of settlements, general international consensus holds them to be illegal under international law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The Israeli watchdog group Peace Now said the newly approved settlements would "significantly change the West Bank" and cement Israel's control of the territory deeper still.
Israel has built about 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, home to nearly 700,000 Israelis, since it seized the land in the 1967 war in the Middle East. These territories are also claimed by the Palestinians as part of a future state, and the expansion is sure to complicate any revived peace efforts.
