Israeli Regime Authorizes New Settlements in Occupied West Bank
The first to publish the decisions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet were two pro-settler ministers, whose inclusion in the coalition he built after a 1 November election had already signaled a hard-right track.
Most world powers consider the settlements illegal for taking up occupied land where the Palestinians seek statehood. Israel disputes this, and since capturing the West Bank in a 1967 war, successive governments have set up or approved 132 settlements.
In recent years, settler zealots have erected scores of outposts without government permission. Some have been razed by police, others authorized retroactively. The nine granted approval on Sunday are the first for this Netanyahu government.
A statement from Netanyahu's office also said a planning committee would convene in the coming days to approve new settlement homes. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said these would number 10,000.
Source: Middleeastmonitor.net
