Bill to legalise settlements advances in Knesset
The controversial law could legalise 55 West Bank outposts and 4,000 housing units
Following a raucous debate, the Israeli Knesset passed the preliminary reading of a controversial bill that would help legalise West Bank outposts built on Palestinian land.
The measure, known as the Regulation Bill, advanced Monday in a 60-49 vote. It must pass three additional votes to be enacted and may be modified during the process.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has said the legislation violates international law and he could not defend it before Israel’s Supreme Court.
According to the settlement watchdog group Peace Now, the bill could legalise 55 outposts and 4,000 housing units in the West Bank, The Times of Israel reported.
The bill would allow the Israeli government to recognise construction built with government assistance and in good faith — meaning those who built outposts were not aware they were building on private land. If the original owners of the land are known, they would be eligible to receive financial compensation for their land from the government.
The original intent of the measure was to legalise the small but contentious settlement outpost of Amona, which the Supreme Court has ruled must be razed by Dec. 25. But the version advanced by the Knesset offers a path to recognise other West Bank settlements.
Under the bill, settlement residents would have usage rights of the land but not ownership, according to Haaretz.
During the debate, opposition lawmakers shouted and tore up copies of the legislation. Opposition leader Chaim Herzog, who heads the Zionist Union bloc, called its passage “a dark day for the Knesset” and slammed the measure as “national suicide.”
Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who represents the pro-settlement Jewish Home party, praised the bill as a step toward annexing the West Bank, according to The Times of Israel.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
