Israel’s outpost legalization bill passed by Knesset

Israeli mayor of occupied Jerusalem Nir Barkat, threatened to demolish hundreds of Palestinian homes in the city, should Israel implement a high court ruling regarding the removal of Amona colonialist outpost, defined by Israel itself as illegally built on Palestinian land, in the occupied West Bank. “If we get permission from the new administration to build inside the settlement blocs, I think we need to grab it with both hands”, he said.

Trump’s campaign platform made no mention of a Palestinian state, and many of his close advisers hold hawkish, pro-Israel views. And this doesn’t only make the “two state” solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict less likely. This is a “tremendous opportunity to announce a renunciation of the idea of founding a Palestinian state in the heart of the land”, Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party, stated.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially opposed the bill, fearing an global backlash and legal implications, but voted in favour on Wednesday. Israel, he said, will never allow such a state to emerge, because it would lose its core meaning and essence as a so-called “Jewish state”; the Israelis want their state to be a home for the Jewish people, and a bi-national state would prevent them from reaching that goal, he said.

Netanyahu said the law was not an attack on freedom of religion but rather a move to defend “those who suffer from the loudness of the excessive noise of the announcements”.

An Israeli Cabinet panel voted Sunday to endorse a piece of legislation that would silence mosque loudspeakers that broadcast the call to prayer, kicking up charges of discrimination from the country’s Arab minority.The vote by the Cabinet panel on Sunday means the legislation will be introduced in parliament as a bill backed by the entire coalition – improving its chances for final passage.

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who heads the Labour party, said the bill contravened Israeli and global law while justifying “theft”.

Herzog was damning in his criticism of the proposed law, which must still pass through parliament, saying it was “a serious stain on Israeli law”, because it “authorises theft and robbery”.

If the Israeli parliament’s first bill becomes law, all informal outposts will be legal.

Trump himself has pledged to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv, a move promised for more than 20 years by various candidates without any fulfillment.

“Pursuing the Israeli settlement activities, with a steady and systematic prompt pace, while taking steps to legalize them, reduces the chances of the success of the two-state solution, and undermines efforts to resume the peace process”, the statement reads.

Israel’s population is roughly 17.5 percent Arab, most of them Muslims, and they accuse the Jewish majority of discriminating against them. News stories displayed here appear in our category for worldwide and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization. This includes the preparation of derivative works of, or the incorporation of such content into other works.

Of course, Trump’s win didn’t please most American Jews, 70% of whom voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton.