Israel says it will remove all restrictions on settlement building

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – In a move with dire implications for the possibility of peace in the region, Israel’s finance minister said Tuesday that the government will remove all restrictions on settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a minister within the Defense Ministry, said Washington realizes that the Israeli government is committed to settlement construction in the West Bank, public broadcaster KAN reported.

He made the remarks during a meeting with hardline Religious Zionism Party lawmakers in the Givat Harel settlement outpost in the West Bank.

The outpost is one of nine settlement outposts that were announced to be legalized by the Israeli government on Sunday.

The Israeli decision to legalize the outposts was met with widespread condemnations from several countries, including the US.

"We are deeply troubled by Israel’s decision yesterday to advance reportedly nearly 10,000 settlement units and begin a process to retroactively legalize nine outposts in the West Bank that were previously illegal under Israeli law," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday.

"Like previous administrations, Democratic and Republican, we strongly oppose such unilateral measures, which exacerbate tensions and undermine the prospects for a negotiated two-state solution," he added.

Estimates indicate about 650,000 Israeli settlers are living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the West Bank.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar