Jerusalem – Israel is to authorize thousands of the settler homes built illegally in the West Bank, some of them decades ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
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The move is likely to please pro-settler members of Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition while angering Palestinians, who want the West Bank as part of a future state.
“Arranging the rights for the homes allows thousands of residents to be provided with infrastructure of public buildings, educational and religious buildings,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
It did not give a specific number of homes but Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked tweeted that more than 2,000 homes would be getting permits.
Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas that are also home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians.
Settlements are one of the most heated issues in efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, frozen since 2014.
In August, an Israeli court broke new ground, and infuriated Palestinians, by giving legal recognition to the Jewish outpost of Mitzpe Kramim, built without government authorization on privately owned Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Palestinians want the West Bank for a future state, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Most countries consider all settlements that Israel has built in territory it captured in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal. Israel disputes this and says their future should be determined in peace talks with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu also said he would try to advance plans for 82 new housing units in the Jewish settlement of Ofra and two West Bank industrial zones.
Netanyahu last month faced a challenge from the far-right after his defense minister resigned and lashed out at the government’s acceptance of a ceasefire with the Palestinian militant group Hamas amid a surge in Gaza violence. Other far-right ministers had threatened to quit, but later backed down.
Shtetl mentality Zionists think running a country is like running a shtetl shul. Picking on the guy that sings off tune and giving away his seat to somebody else isn’t the same as taking away land. We need a string IDF where it counts not where the sole purpose is to antagonize entire segments of the worlds population. RESIST and IMPEACH the ganif.
More Jews are destined to be murdered c’v.
Residing in these dangerous territories is like living in a zoo. Blood thirsty Palestinian murderers who seek to kill Jews every second.
Anyone who supports the right wing Zionist twisted ideology has their hands full of Jewish blood.
No Mitzvah comes before Pikuach Nefesh.
if we give illegals rights, surely a Jew can live in HIS land that is Biblicaly ordained by G-d himself, who cares what an KOFI (monkey in Aramic) Annan, bankimoon or a latino says.
Up until a few weeks ago, we would have said that Squirrel Hill, in Pittsburgh is the safest place for a Jew to live…. well, that was debunked. Hashem yishmor aleynu b’chol makom asher anu nimtzaim.
In one of the news here on VIN it reports the killing of the soldier hy’d in another that Bibi will settle scores with the terrorists and now hes authorizing to build in contraversial land. So who will there be to blame when a sick animal drives by and shoots and more victims are mourned ch’v? The Arab? of course, but he hates us so how about sticking to peaceful territory and not anger the bull so hel G d forbid bite? Dumb ignorant Israelis. We wont go into Torah values that nothing is pikuach nefesh worthy here. How unfortunate. Theyre begging for violence.