Jerusalem, May 29 (EFE).- Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday that the Israeli government has approved 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank<\/p>
“We have led a historic decision for the settlement: 22 new settlements in Judea and Samaria (the biblical name for the West Bank, used by the Israeli government), the renewal of the settlement in Northern Samaria and strengthening the eastern avenue of the state of Israel – the shield wall,” the minister posted on Facebook.<\/p>
Smotrich, in addition to being finance minister, holds a position in the defense ministry with responsibility for civilian issues in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank, and has advocated for the expansion of illegal settlements and the construction of new colonies.<\/p>
“This is a big day for settlement and an important day for the state of Israel,” Smotrich added. <\/p>
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the approval of the settlements came two weeks ago, but the government did not announce it until now, a day after the same newspaper reported that it had done so “in secret.”<\/p>
The newspaper reports that these 22 settlements include nine “outposts,” the English term used to describe the first buildings built by settlers to establish a new settlement.<\/p>
Some of the new ones, it adds, are located in remote areas within the West Bank, such as Mount Ebal, a hill where there were no settlements between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Sa’ Nur.<\/p>
In a statement, the Israeli NGO Peace Now, which researches and monitors the proliferation of settlements in Palestinian territory, said that the approval of these settlements demonstrated that the annexation of the occupied territories and the expansion of settlements were the main objective of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.<\/p>
The group added that this was the most extensive measure of its kind since the 1993 Oslo Accords, which divided the Palestinian territory into three zones and stipulated the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops, which has not occurred.<\/p>
The move will drastically transform the West Bank and further consolidate the occupation, according to the nonprofit.<\/p>
Under international law, any settlement in militarily occupied territory, such as the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is considered illegal. <\/p>
However, under Israeli law, most settlements in that area are legal, although settler outposts are also established in this area without prior authorization. EFE<\/p>
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