Germany objects to Israeli settlement bill

BERLIN (AA) - Germany Wednesday expressed its “deep concern” over a controversial Israeli bill that would legitimize illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Sebastian Fischer, a spokesman for Germany's Foreign Ministry, said that the bill is against international law.

Speaking to journalists in Berlin, Fisher said the bill would pose a serious challenge to the Israeli government's credibility as a supporter of a bi-national state.

The Israeli parliament (Knesset) Monday evening passed a preliminary reading of the controversial bill.

Approved by a vote of 60-49 after a raucous debate, the bill must now pass three additional votes by the Knesset before it becomes law.

If passed into law, the bill would see thousands of Palestinian lands seized and retroactively legalize illegal settlements in the West Bank.

The bill is reportedly opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who said following Monday's vote that the bill contravenes Israeli and international law.

Israeli opposition leader Issac Herzog also decried the bill, saying:

"This dispute will be remembered as a black day in the Knesset."

International law considers all Jewish settlements in the West Bank illegal.