«Israeli» MPs Vote to Legalize 4,000 Settler Units in WB

Local Editor

The "Israeli" entity's parliament greenlighted the legalization of nearly 4,000 settler units in Area C of the occupied West Bank as it passed a controversial retroactive bill. Prior to its approval, the bill was likened to annexation and blasted by the entity's attorney general.

The highly controversial legislation, which challenges both international and "Israeli" law, was backed by 60 Knesset deputies and opposed by 52 on Monday. The so-called "Regulation Bill" sparked heated debate with voting having been postponed several times. The bill drew widespread condemnation from the opposition, the UN and also the "Israeli" prosecutor's office.

Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit had repeatedly voiced his concerns over the bill's compliance with international norms, saying it is in violation of the "Israeli" entity's constitution and international law, while refusing to defend the bill before "Israel's" so-called "High Court of Justice" [HCJ]. He also warned that the entity might face legal action from the International Court of Justice once the bill is enacted.

The law covers "Israeli" settlements and outposts built on private Palestinian land in the Area C of the West Bank. Outposts, the settler units not approved by the regime, are deemed illegal under "Israeli" law. Pursuant to the new law, the settlers will be allowed to remain on the Palestinian private land if they had no previous knowledge that it had been owned by Palestine or were instructed by the regime to build units there. The law also envisages compensation for Palestinian owners, who will be paid a market share for their land but will not be able to sell it.

The Knesset opposition leader, Isaac Herzog, of the center-left Zionist Union, labeled the new legislation a "de-facto annexation," as cited by the Jerusalem Post.

"Never in the history of ‘Israel' has the Knesset passed a bill against ‘state' laws and against the senior legal advisers of the government," Herzog said ahead of the vote, calling the bill a "catastrophe" and an "acute danger" to the "Israeli" entity, which might land it in the Hague international tribunal.

Herzog urged War Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a long-time ally of PM Benyamin Netanyahu, to withdraw support from the "illegitimate law," from which "we will suffer from for many generations to come," he said, as cited by Arutz Sheva.

It is not yet clear if the law will come into force, as it can be thwarted by judicial authorities. Lieberman himself believes there that the "chance that it will be struck down by the Supreme Court is 100 percent," as cited by I24news.

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, stated the law is set to deal another blow to the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that its adoption will entail "far reaching legal consequences for Israel and greatly diminish the prospects for Arab-‘Israeli' peace."

The bill was hailed as a major victory by the right-wing parties. Naftali Bennet, the "Israeli" entity's so-called education minister and the leader of the "Jewish Home party", which has been championing the legislation, called its approval a "revolution" in a Twitter post.

"Our determination paid off," Bennet said, while commending Netanyahu for his support of the bill.

There had been widespread speculation about the actual stance of the "Israeli" PM toward the bill. Although Netanyahu publicly voiced his support for the legislation, there had been reports he initially opposed it, fearing international repercussions, but in the end caved in to pressure from his coalition partners, "Jewish Home".

Netanyahu, who had been the subject of an ongoing criminal probe into abuse of power and corruption, was not present at the vote, as he was still on the way back from his state trip to the UK. Dismissing rumors that he intended to postpone a vote until a meeting with US President Donald Trump, scheduled on February 15, had taken place, Netanyahu argued that he had only wanted to "update" the US on the move.

"I never said I want to put it off," he told journalists in the UK on Monday, as cited by the Times of "Israel".

"I act according to national interests. In my view, you don't surprise friends. Friends don't surprise each other. Friends update each other. That's what I did," he said.

The "Israeli" ruling coalition, including Netanyahu's Likud and "Jewish Home", reinforced its push for the bill, first proposed in November, following recent evacuation and demolition of Amona's settlement, an "Israeli" outpost in the occupied West Bank which triggered mass protests. The outpost was erected in 1995 and was ruled illegal by the so-called "Israeli" Supreme Court in 2006.

Last week, the entity approved the construction of over 3,000 settler units in the occupied West Bank in addition to some 2,500 settlement units announced the week before.

Lieberman claimed the decision was aimed at "resumption of normal life in Judea and Samaria, and in order to provide a real answer to living and housing needs in the region."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team