Middle East Conflict
Israel decides to legalize settlement outposts
The Jewish settlement of Efrat in the West Bank. photo
© Mahmoud Illean/AP/dpa
Since Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, the settlement policy there has been very controversial. The latest decision by the security cabinet is likely to fuel the conflict further.
Israel has decided to legalize nine unauthorized settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank following deadly Palestinian attacks in East Jerusalem. According to official information, this was decided at a meeting of the security cabinet on Sunday evening. The “Jerusalem Post” wrote that it was an “extraordinarily rare step” that was also clearly against the will of the United States.
The nine settlements have existed for many years, some for decades, the statement said. According to the information, a responsible committee is to meet in the coming days to approve the construction of further residential units in these settlements.
Israel’s settlement policy is very controversial. Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. In total, more than 600,000 Israeli settlers live there today. The Palestinians claim the territories for an independent state of Palestine with the Arab-influenced eastern part of Jerusalem as the capital.
Israel distinguishes between settlements created with government approval and “wild settlements,” which are intended to be retrospectively legalized by law. From an international perspective, however, all settlements are illegal. At the end of 2016, the UN Security Council called on Israel to completely stop settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the annexed East Jerusalem.
The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been extremely tense for weeks. Nine Israelis and one Ukrainian have been killed in Palestinian attacks since the beginning of the year. Raids by the Israeli army and their own attacks killed 46 Palestinians this year alone.