Legalize it! Israel committee defies UN, backs settlement expansion

Published time: July 09, 2012 10:11
Edited time: July 09, 2012 14:11
A Palestinian woman waves her national flag in front of an Israeli military water cannon during a demonstration in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh to protest against the confiscation of Palestinian land to expand the nearby Jewish settlement of Halamish (AFP Photo / Abbas Momani)

Israel’s outposts on the West Bank which have been condemned as illegal by the UN should be authorized, said an Israeli committee. The settlements are a constant source of conflict and have been repeatedly ruled as a violation of international law by the

The so-called “outpost committee” appointed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in January said that it recommends the legalization of the outposts on the basis that the territory was not occupied.

“Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of settlements cannot, in and of itself, be considered illegal,” claimed the report published by the committee.

The report stressed that the image “that has been displayed before us regarding Israeli settlement activity in Judea and Samaria does not befit the behavior of a state [Israel] that prides itself on, and is committed to, the rule of law.”

The UN has repeatedly decried the building of Jewish settlement in the West Bank as a breach of international law. Moreover, it "undermines the peace process and poses a threat to the two-state solution and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.”

However, the Israeli committee argues that due to the “unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria” through history, “classical laws of occupation are not applicable.”

On Friday the UN Human Right Council appointed a three person team to launch a probe into the impact of Israeli settlements on Palestinian residents of the West Bank.

Israel responded saying they would not allow the team of independent experts access to Israeli territory. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that the probe represents a distortion of international law that the UN uses to victimize Israel.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week the European Parliament called for Israeli settlers living in the West Bank who commit acts of violence against Palestinians to be brought to justice. In addition, the Parliament appealed to the Israeli government to cease its construction program in the occupied territories as it represented a serious “obstacle to the peace process.”

Reports of violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians have been escalating over the last few months.

Regular clashes occur in the disputed region between Palestinians protesting Israel’s presence and Israeli police forces. In May over 80 Palestinians were injured when Israeli security forces opened fire on them with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Israel settlements in the West Bank are a major bone of contention between Palestinians and Israelis and have put the breaks on peace talks. Palestine has refused to conduct talks while Israel continues its construction program. Israel has repeatedly refused to stop its building of new settlements in the area.

Palestinians strongly object to Israeli presence in the area that they claim is part of their future state, while Israel argues that historical and religious links justify its presence.

Israel expropriated the West Bank now populated by 500,000 Israelis and 2.5 million Palestinians from Jordan in 1967.

Comments (26)

Atlan (unregistered) 10.07.2012 04:28

quote: Jerusalem, both East and West, is considered by the entire world community, including the United States, to be occupied territory and NOT part of Israel. :unquote

It's a weird world; Arabs conquered (stole) land all over North Africa, and now when Jews wrested back a bit of what was stolen from them, the world and especially the Arabs cannot come to terms with losing stolen property. "Easy come -- easy go".
By keeping Arabs occupied, the Jewish state is doing a big favor to Europe, who would otherwise be more of a Muslim target than it is already. Today Israel, tomorrow Al Andalus, New York after tomorrow.
Feeling a bit subdued is good for the Muslim psyche.

0

Undo

The Christian American (unregistered) 09.07.2012 19:02

Every time I hear the Israel's or Jews put on the same plain as the Zionist, I cringe for those people. In my opinion Zionist are to Israeli's and Jews what the German people were to the Nazi's. Same went with the Communist and Russians. Yuri Gagarin, open his return to earth was awarded with honorary membership in the Communist Party. I believe that less tha 2% of the Russian people were members of the Communist Party. The Jewish newspaper frequently criticizes the Zionist. They even ran a news column recently calling Netanyahu a liar. American propaganda still equates Russia with the Communist, but they have got an agenda. Sure the Zionist have an agenda and that includes taking Samaria and Judea from it's Palestinian landowners as part of it, by any means necessary When even the Jewish news website calls the people in power liars, why should the world believe a word that they say? Study up on Theodor Herz'l, the founder of Zionism. Doing that and you'll find all that is happening is prophecy fulfilled by the Zionist. In America we have what I call godless socialist. They're akin to the Zionist. Stalin said..."Promises are like pie crust, made to be broken". Was Stalin a Zionist? I wonder. The Zionist cerainly learn from him.        

0

Undo

Americans For Justice (unregistered) 09.07.2012 15:18

Facts about Israel you may not know:
The Israeli Foreign Ministry pays two American public relations firms to promote Israel to Americans.    Israel's government includes a party which advocates expelling all Palestinians from the occupied territorie s.    Israel 's settlement-build ing increased rapidly since Oslo.    Set tlement building under Barak doubled compared to settlement building under Netanyahu.    Israel once dedicated a postage stamp to a man who attacked a civilian bus and killed several people.  Recentl y-declassified docu ments indicate that David Ben-Gurion in at least some instances approved of the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948.    We often hear of Ehud Barak's generosity about an alleged return of 95% of the Palestinian Occupied Territorie s. When Palestinians refused, they were blamed for "missing an opportunity." The Palestinians have already accepted Israel's existence on 78% of what was Palestine. For those who use the argument of the Bible: God said to Abraham, "Unto thy seed, I will give thy land." Abraham had two sons. Ismael - the Arab son, and Isaac - the Jewish son. So even if one wants to go to the Bible, the land would belong to both.   Pales tinian Christians are considered the "living stones" of Christianity because they are the direct descendants of the disciples of Jesus Christ.    D espite a ban on torture by Israel's High Court of Justice, torture has continued by Shin Bet interrogators on Palestinian prisoners.   Palestinian refugees make up the largest portion of the refugee population in the world.    

+12

Undo

View all comments (26)
Add comment

By posting your comment, you agree to abide by our Posting rules

Log in to comment in full, or comment anonymously under character-limit restriction.

100 Text

– required fields

Register or

Name

Password

Show password

Register

or Register

Request a new password

Send

or Register

To complete a registration check
your Email:

or Register

A password has been sent to your email address

Edit profile

Name

New password

Retype new password

Current password

Save

Cancel

Follow us