UN Chief Concerned About Israeli Appropriation of 370 Acres Near West Bank

The U.S. ambassador to Israel criticized Israel’s West Bank settlement policies at a high-profile security conference Monday, a rare public rebuke from Israel’s top ally that drew an angry response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Shapiro says building settlements raises questions about Israel’s intentions.

Meanwhile, he said, “nearly all of Area C, which compromises 60 percent of the West Bank, is effectively restricted for any Palestinian development”.

French state secretary for European Affairs Harlem Desir, standing in for his foreign minister Laurent Fabius, said some countries, including Greece, wanted to see changes to the text, thinking it too critical of Israel.

In a fierce attack on the government’s failure to stop the violence, education minister Naftali Bennett, leader of right-wing Jewish Home, criticised a “deadlock in creative thinking” on security.

US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro declared yesterday in Tel Aviv, “Too much Israeli vigilantism in the West Bank goes on unchecked”. Army strategists expect Iran to observe the terms of the nuclear agreement for several years while increasing its support for Lebanese and Palestinian groups fighting Israel, he said. It says indictments were served against suspects in just 75 of these cases.

Netanyahu called Shapiro’s observations “unacceptable and wrong”, although they could be interpreted as applicable.

The European Union has reinforced its position that products made in Israeli settlements must be clearly labelled in Europe, despite growing tensions with Israel over the issue, but stressed the bloc opposes any boycott of the Jewish state. A Palestinian attacker stabbed and wounded a pregnant Israeli woman in the West Bank before being shot, Israeli…

Israel applies the law to Israelis and Palestinians.

In the past four months, 27 Israelis have been killed in stabbing, shooting or car-ramming attacks by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs. In the same period, at least 148 Palestinians have been killed, 94 of whom Israel has described as assailants.

“The Israeli army has killed 30 children and seven women in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem during the current intifada”, the NGO said.

Joint List party condemns Israel for “crimes” against Palestinians, blames “occupation” for terror, radicalism and war.

The Israeli defence body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, Cogat, said 26,000 Palestinians employed at settlements would be affected by the restrictions announced on Tuesday.