Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Wednesday the broadening of a law that will allow Israelis to return to three settlements in the occupied West Bank that were dismantled in 2005.
In 2005, four settlements were dismantled in the West Bank and 21 in Gaza, a move known as the “disengagement.” Last year, the Israeli Knesset passed an amendment to the disengagement law allowing the return to one West Bank settlement, and Gallant’s moves allow settlers to return to the entire area, which is located in the northern West Bank between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Jenin.
Announcing the move, Gallant vowed to do what he could to continue expanding West Bank settlements. “Just as I have done in every position I’ve held in government, I will continue to foster the settlement of Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
Gallant’s announcement came on the same day Spain, Norway, and Ireland said they would recognize Palestine as a state. The over 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and the expansion of settlements are some of the main impediments to a two-state solution.
When the current Israeli government coalition was formed in December 2022, it released a statement vowing to prioritize the expansion of West Bank settlements with the ultimate goal of annexing the territory. Settlers have very influential positions in the government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also has a position as a minister in the Defense Ministry that gives him power to expand settlements.
After the Netanyahu coalition took power, violence against Palestinians spiked in the West Bank as the military stepped up raids, and settlers became emboldened and more violent. As a result, 2023 marked the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the UN began counting casualties in 2006, even before October 7.
After October 7, violence spiked even more as settlers took advantage of the tensions and focus on Gaza to terrorize Palestinians in the West Bank and steal their homes. Since then, at least 502 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Dumb question: if God is everywhere, why cling to a particular piece of dirt? Why show yourselves to be exactly as cruel and bloodthirsty as you claim your enemies are. Why suffer a locked-in syndrome with regard to a particular latitude and longitude? Especially I ask this of the about 25% of settlers who are American settlers.
Religious Jews historically have mostly been anti Zionist, the pressure for colonisation came from atheist Jews, and it was about grabbing valuable real estate to set up their desired ethno state. However the success of Israel at getting support & funding from the powers that be has brought onside the bulk of religious Jews also.
The Russian Bolsheviks offered them Birobidzhan, but Zionists refused to take it because they wanted Russia.
“Zionists wanted Russia”the Zionists wanted to leave Russia for Palestine.
The Zionist’ thesis is entirely specious. The “nation” of the Jews is spiritual, a cosmopolitan movable feast they carry with them like their story books and philosophers.
I suppose this is what 75 years of impunity creates.
Chas Freeman says there’s talk of the UN suspending Israel. What they should do is suspend the US, thereby letting the Security Council do what it should with Israel.
The ICJ will release it’s order on SA’s 5/10 application for addt’l provisional measures against Israel tomorrow.
Israel exists because of the giant sugar daddy. The U.S. of A. Ben-Gurion said that the objectives of the Zionists would not be met without the aid of a powerful nation. Voila’, the U.S.
Israel exists because the richest Zionists in London wanted it to exist. Take look at who the Balfour Declaration was addressed to.
Israel exists because it was build on the blood,sweat,tears, and dreams of a people seeking safety and freedom. The US was initially not very supportive-arm embargo fro 1947 to 1963.
The Myth of the “Few Against the Many” in 1948
https://pij.org/articles/107/the-myth-of-the-few-against-the-many-in-1948
Ooooohh,the kid was baaaad in class-put a mark in his PERMANENT Record>HAHAHA
I believe this is what’s known as the war crime of “collective punishment”, on top of being colonialist ethnic cleansing.
Who would be short sighted enough to buy property in one of these illegal settlements ?
Fanatic Jewish settlers would, confident the Zionists control the world. They can break every law and US suckers will protect their properties
Why, I can’t believe it, what happened to the Amendment I ?
I look forward to the day these fascist colonists are wiped out.
Going to be a long, long time. Like, never. We will back them forever. The donor class and AIPAC will make sure of that.
I’m not so pessimistic.
US public support for Israel was fossilized even before Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
Biden may be the last avowedly Zionist Democratic President.
I’ve read that Israel is undergoing a civil war between the secular Jewish population and the settlers, AKA the religious fascists.
I noticed that the Israeli victims on 10-7 were predominately secular Jews, including kibbutz dwellers and ravers at the Music Festival.
Hmm…
https://www.google.com/search?q=who+ldt+the+dogs+out&rlz=1CAEYPX_enUS1108&oq=who+ldt+the+dogs+out&aqs=chrome..69i57.5364j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#
I think change is in the air. The USA and Israel and all their vassals can’t hide the ugly faces of their oligarchs. The majority of the worlds most populous nations are rising up and no amount of the most sophisticated public manipulation can stop that. They know how ugly and phony the oligarch democracies are, they experienced all their brutalities, they came to rob them and not to bring freedom and prosperity.
Hamas broke the prison walls down for the world to see the evil Zionist brutality against the occupied Palestinian people.
Ilegality upon illegality, with not an iota of recourse or punishment. In the future, kids learning history, especially of the current genocide and ethnic cleansing will only have to check for video of the “operation” by the Zionists.
Zionists! Liars, thieves and murderers all.
Israel goooood-all extremists baaaaad.
Slightly hypocritical Jake, Israel can indeed be extreme as well.
What is, indeed, necessary is a truly long and lasting peace, between all people involved.
Tasteless efforts at humor, does not make any contribution towards peace.
Israel is the definition of extremism.
Zionists are extremists and their genocidal attacks on Gaza are evil.
You and yours are also a pack of hypocrites who lie in support of mass murder.
Israel is not an ally of the US. It’s s parasite.
End all US aid to Israel!
This one is really so simple. Just make peace with each other and that will settle almost everything. Stop stealing the land and taking it for yourself. I speak with some authority since I am part Comanche and I know a bit about that.
For normal people it would be simple, but there are no normal people governing Western Democracies. The USA/NATO nations are in the hands of intellectually and morally bankrupt oligarchs.
I am convinced the West Bank is the keystone of this entire war. The lynchpin. Not Lebanon, not Gaza. So far Israel has managed to keep a lid on it, but watch the West Bank closely.