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Boys walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip. Photo: AFP
JERUSALEM:
Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures on Sunday set to deepen Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion in the Palestinian territory.
“The security cabinet today approved a series of decisions… fundamentally changing the legal and civil reality in Judea and Samaria,” a statement said, using the biblical names for the West Bank.
The measures, announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz, include the removal of decades-old regulations barring Jewish citizens from purchasing land in the West Bank, according to a joint statement by the two ministers.
Smotrich said the move aimed at “deepening our roots in all regions of the Land of Israel and burying the idea of a Palestinian state”.
Kats said “Judea and Samaria is the heart of the country, and strengthening it is a paramount
security, national, and Zionist interest”.
The reforms also envisage transferring authority over building permits for settlements in parts of Palestinian cities, including Hebron, from the Palestinian Authority’s municipal bodies to Israel.
Until now, construction changes in the city’s Jewish community required approval from both the local municipality and Israeli authorities, the Times of Israel reported, citing the statement.
Under the new arrangements, such changes would require Israeli authorisation only.
“We are committed to removing barriers, creating legal and civil certainty, and allowing settlers to live, build and develop on equal footing with every citizen of Israel,” Katz said in the statement.
The measures would also allow Israeli authorities to administer certain religious sites even when they are located in areas under Palestinian Authority control, the statement said.
The Palestinian presidency in Ramallah condemned the decision, saying it was aimed at “deepening attempts to annex the occupied West Bank”.
