The newly approved bill is “inconsistent” with Israel’s vows to ease tensions with the Palestinians, a senior official said.
The US government has voiced major concerns after Israeli lawmakers passed a bill allowing for the construction of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning that the measure would facilitate the theft of Palestinian land.
The State Department’s principal deputy spokesman, Vedant Patel, said Washington is “extremely troubled” by the law, which rescinds parts of a 2005 bill that ordered Israeli settlers to vacate Gaza and some areas of the West Bank.
“The US strongly urges Israel to refrain from allowing the return of settlers to the area covered by the legislation,” he told reporters on Tuesday, noting that “At least one of the [former] outposts in this area… was built on private Palestinian land, which is illegal under Israeli law.”
Calling the legal change “particularly provocative” and “counterproductive,” Patel said the creation of new settlements would pose “an obstacle to peace” in the region, also arguing the decision marks a “clear contradiction” of Israel’s repeated vows to deescalate hostilities with the Palestinians.
While the 2005 disengagement law ordered all settlers to leave Gaza, it banned settlements in just four West Bank communities: Homesh, Ganim, Kadim and Sa-Nur. The new measure applies only to those areas, though hundreds of thousands of Israelis continue to maintain scores of illegal outposts in the territory. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must approve a military order before settlers are permitted to return to the designated areas, however.
The Knesset approved the partial repeal earlier on Tuesday in a 31-18 vote, with hard right and religious parties strongly backing the proposal. Patel, however, appeared to question the voting process, saying it is “all the more concerning that such a significant piece of legislation passed with just 31 ‘yes’ votes out of an assembly of 120 members.”
A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the bill is a “violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy,” as well as a 2016 UN Security Council resolution which found that settlements have “no legal validity.”
Israel “insists on defying international law and works to sabotage international efforts exerted to deescalate the situation and reduce tension,” the spokesperson said, also urging Washington to put pressure on its ally and “force it to stop all unilateral measures that violate international law and all signed agreements.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the State Department called up Israel’s envoy for a meeting, during which officials “conveyed US concern” over the law. While a department readout did not describe the meeting as a formal summons, “this was effectively the reason for the sit-down,” according to a US official cited by the Times of Israel. The country’s embassy in Washington declined to comment on the discussion.
Image credit: Haley Black
the holocost beeing used as a shield to protect ultra zionists of the consequences of their appalling crimes. Proxy wars in the middel east through ” allies” USA to gain territories.
Read ” The Trigger” by David Icke.
He explains how mossad and ultra zionists operate through foreign governments. And how israel ultra zionism manipulate public opinion and threaten the world peace.
Any individual, politician, writer or else, and even jews, that is critical of this policy is called an ” anti- semic”, can be brought to court as ” anti semitism” is now in many country legally a crime, harrassed or completely destroyed by this through israel organized cabal
In addition to this, they are outlawing the mention of Jesus Christ within the borders of Israel.
Watch for this to expand beyond Israel…!
When I was in Israel in the ’80’s our plane was met by armed Israeli IDF types who boarded our aircraft and pointed Uzis in our faces.
No other nation did this during the time I was deployed to Europe and the Middle East, and no Moslem / Islamic country ever did this to us as a C-130 Crew.
Most of these Christian Church-arranged tourism trips to the ‘(Un)Holy Land can only follow a specific monitored path, and there are no go areas.
IF you stray or go exploring on your own, then you will soon find yourself surrounded by hostile Israelis / J3w$ who will accuse you of prosetylising.
Things can get really nasty…
Videos are online where Isreali youth are going out of their way to follow such tour groups and harassing / assaulting the same, throwing whiskey and wine bottles at the ‘Christian Visitors’ while saying “F#@K YOUR JESUS!” and “Go to hell American!” (despite the fact that the U.S. gives Israel BILLIONS of taxpayer fiat $ per year to Israel.)
The Likud Party and criminal Bibi Netanyahu are back in power, and are as blustery arrogant on an even larger scale.
Watch for more Mossad assassinations…and IDF Snipers in the ‘occupied West Bank and Gaza’ where they roam and kill with impunity.
THIS is why we need full Firearms Restoration here in New Zealand as provided by the UN Charter.
Since World War Three is now well underway and the next phase is shaping up, that phase and the ones following the same will be very interesting with regards to developments in the Middle East, especially concerning the stolen territories otherwise known as Israel.