JERUSALEM, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Israel granted legal status on Sunday to a previously unauthorized outpost in the occupied West Bank in response to a Palestinian shooting attack last month that killed one of its residents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision to retroactively authorize the 50-family outpost of Havat Gilad was meant to "allow the continuation of normal life there."

Most countries deem Israeli settlements in the West Bank, land Israel captured in a 1967 war that the Palestinians want for a future state, to be illegal. Israel disputes this.

The decision was approved unanimously by Israel's cabinet.

"Netanyahu is trying to make facts on ground. All settlements in the West Bank, including in Jerusalem, are illegal," said Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee.

On Jan. 9, Havat Gilad resident Rabbi Raziel Shevah was shot dead from a passing vehicle as he drove near his home. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Adrian Croft)</s>JERUSALEM — Israel's prime minister says it will legalize an isolated West Bank outpost in response to the murder of one of its residents.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday that those who try to "break our spirit and weaken us made a grave mistake." He says his government will legalize Havat Gilad to "allow the continuing of normal life there."

Earlier this month, Havat Gilad resident Rabbi Raziel Shevah, a 35-year-old father of six, was shot dead from a passing vehicle as he drove near his home in the unauthorized settlement outpost near Nablus. The community of a few hundred Israelis is located deep inside the West Bank.

The anti-settlement Peace Now group says the effort to legalize it is a "cynical exploitation of the murder."</s>Jerusalem: Israel's prime minister says it will legalise an isolated West Bank outpost in response to the murder of one of its residents.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting that those who try to "break our spirit and weaken us made a grave mistake."

He said his government will legalise Havat Gilad to "allow the continuing of normal life there."

Earlier this month, Havat Gilad resident Rabbi Raziel Shevah, a 35-year-old father of six, was shot dead from a passing vehicle as he drove near his home in the unauthorised settlement outpost near Nablus.

The community of a few hundred Israelis is located deep inside the West Bank.

The anti-settlement Peace Now group says the effort to legalise it is a "cynical exploitation of the murder."</s>Israel on Sunday said it plans to legalize an isolated West Bank outpost in response to the murder of one of its residents in a shooting attack last month.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting that his government will legalize Havat Gilad to “allow the continuing of normal life there.”

“Whoever thought that through the reprehensible murder of a resident of Havat Gilad, a father of six, that our spirit can be broken and we can be weakened, is making a bitter mistake,” Netanyahu said.

Last month, Rabbi Raziel Shevah, 35, was shot dead from a passing vehicle as he drove near his home in the unauthorized settlement outpost near the Palestinian city of Nablus. The Israeli military is still searching the area for suspects.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, areas the Palestinians want for a future state. Israel has established about 120 West Bank settlements, which it considers legal. In addition, about 100 settlement outposts have been erected without official approval but Israel generally tolerates them. Most of the international community considers all Jewish West Bank settlements illegal.

Havat Gilad, a community of a few hundred Israelis, is among these rogue outposts and is located deep inside the West Bank, away from areas Israel expects to keep under any peace deal with the Palestinians. Critics see their expansion as complicating peace efforts.

The anti-settlement group Peace Now called the effort to legalize the outpost a “cynical exploitation of the murder.”

Meanwhile, Israel on Sunday demolished a two-classroom school in a Bedouin community in the West Bank, saying the EU-funded structure was built illegally without proper permits and that it was in a precarious condition. The school served nearly 30 third and fourth grade students who were moved to a nearby guesthouse and barbershop to continue classes.

A statement from Cogat, the Israeli defence body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said the demolition was approved after it had been challenged in Israel’s Supreme Court.

The EU delegation to Israel called on the country to “meet its obligations as occupying power vis-a-vis the Palestinian population.”

“Children should not be left without classrooms,” it said in a statement.

Roberto Valent, an official with the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA, said he was “deeply concerned” by the demolition. In a statement, he said the Israeli-issued permits were “nearly impossible to obtain” and that demolitions such as Sunday’s, among other Israeli policies, “have created a coercive environment that violates the human rights of residents and generates a risk of forcible transfer.”

The demolition took place near the settlement of Maaleh Adumim, in the 60 per cent of the West Bank known as Area C that remains under full Israeli control. Israel has imposed severe restrictions on Palestinian development in this area, home to dozens of Israeli settlements.

The EU funds the construction of many homes, schools and other structures in the area and says the projects are needed for humanitarian reasons and economic development.

Israel says that any assistance to Palestinians in Area C must be co-ordinated with authorities.</s>(UPDATED) The vote comes as European nations voice growing concern over settlement expansion in the West Bank

JERUSALEM (UPDATED) – Israel's cabinet voted Sunday, February 4, to formally authorize a rogue West Bank settlement in response to last month's murder of a rabbi who lived there, officials said, in a rare move likely to spark an international outcry.

The vote came as European nations voiced growing concern over settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory, but with US President Donald Trump largely refraining from such criticism, which many Israelis see as a green light.

Israeli authorities have advanced plans for thousands of new settlement homes in recent months, although cabinet votes to authorize a pre-existing outpost are relatively rare.

Sunday's vote to authorize the Havat Gilad outpost was unanimous, an official familiar with the proceedings said on condition of anonymity.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the government will today regularize the status of Havat Gilad to allow the continuance of normal life there."

The official cabinet agenda said the motion would designate the 15-year-old outpost as a "new community" which will have the necessary building permits and a state budget.

The agenda said about 40 families live in the outpost, but envisages its enlargement.

Israeli media, however, said it was unclear how the authorization would proceed, as parts of the outpost may have to be moved elsewhere if found to have been built on private Palestinian land.

Rabbi Raziel Shevach was shot dead near Havat Gilad, where he lived, on January 9.

The following week, Israeli troops searching for his attackers shot dead what they described as a Palestinian suspect in the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Havat Gilad.

However, they did not catch the man suspected of being responsible for Shevach's killing, 22-year-old Ahmed Jarrar.

The manhunt continued on Saturday, February 3, with a raid on the West Bank village of Burqin, near Nablus, sparking clashes during which soldiers shot dead a teenager identified by the Palestinian health ministry as Ahmad Abu Obeid, 19.

"Yesterday our forces were again in action in an effort to apprehend the last of the assassins and their accomplices in the murder of Rabbi Shevach," Netanyahu told cabinet ministers and media.

"We will not rest until we bring them to justice. And we shall bring them all to justice."

Roger Kuby, Shevach's father-in-law, told Agence France-Presse the government move was "a small consolation, but an important gesture."

Mourners at Shevach's funeral interrupted a speech by Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the far-right Jewish Home party with calls for "revenge."

Bennett responded by saying that the only revenge should be in building more settlements, and Netanyahu said Sunday that was one of the planks of his policy.

"Anyone who thinks that through the abominable murder of a resident of Havat Gilad, a father of 6, they would break our spirits and weaken us is making a bitter mistake," he said.

Settlement watchdog Peace Now, however, said that retroactively granting legal status to Havat Gilad, built without development plans or construction permits, was "cynical exploitation" of Shevach's death.

Israeli settlements are seen as illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

But Israel differentiates between settlements it has approved and those it has not.

Those without approval are referred to as outposts and tend to be populated by hardline religious nationalists who see the entire West Bank as part of Israel.

Past attempts by Israeli authorities to dismantle Havat Gilad have led to clashes with settlers there.

Israel has several times given retroactive approval to outposts, and last year work began on the first completely new government-sanctioned settlement built in the Palestinian territories in quarter of a century.

Israel faced sharp criticism from the administration of former US president Barack Obama over settlement construction, but that has not been the case with Trump's White House. Israeli officials have sought to take advantage of this.

Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6 was also hailed by Israelis, while deeply angering the Palestinians who also see the city as their capital.

European officials and UN bodies have maintained their strong opposition to settlement building as well as the long-standing consensus that the status of Jerusalem must be negotiated. – Rappler.com</s>Israel's cabinet voted Sunday to formally authorise a rogue West Bank settlement in response to last month's murder of a rabbi who lived there, officials said, in a rare move likely to spark an international outcry.

The vote came as European nations voiced growing concern over settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory, but with US President Donald Trump largely refraining from such criticism, which many Israelis see as a green light.

Israeli authorities have advanced plans for thousands of new settlement homes in recent months, although cabinet votes to authorise a pre-existing outpost are relatively rare.

Sunday's vote to authorise the Havat Gilad outpost was unanimous, an official familiar with the proceedings said on condition of anonymity.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the government will today regularise the status of Havat Gilad to allow the continuance of normal life there".

The official cabinet agenda said the motion would designate the 15-year-old outpost as a "new community" which will have the necessary building permits and a state budget.

The agenda said about 40 families live in the outpost, but envisages its enlargement.

Israeli media, however, said it was unclear how the authorisation would proceed, as parts of the outpost may have to be moved elsewhere if found to have been built on private Palestinian land.

Rabbi Raziel Shevach was shot dead near Havat Gilad, where he lived, on January 9.

The following week, Israeli troops searching for his attackers shot dead what they described as a Palestinian suspect in the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of Havat Gilad.

However, they did not catch the man suspected of being responsible for Shevach's killing, 22-year-old Ahmed Jarrar.

The manhunt continued on Saturday with a raid on the West Bank village of Burqin, near Nablus, sparking clashes during which soldiers shot dead a teenager identified by the Palestinian health ministry as Ahmad Abu Obeid, 19.

"Yesterday our forces were again in action in an effort to apprehend the last of the assassins and their accomplices in the murder of Rabbi Shevach," Netanyahu told cabinet ministers and media.

"We will not rest until we bring them to justice. And we shall bring them all to justice."

Roger Kuby, Shevach's father-in-law, told AFP the government move was "a small consolation, but an important gesture".

Mourners at Shevach's funeral interrupted a speech by Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the far-right Jewish Home party with calls for "revenge".

Bennett responded by saying that the only revenge should be in building more settlements, and Netanyahu said Sunday that was one of the planks of his policy.

"Anyone who thinks that through the abominable murder of a resident of Havat Gilad, a father of six, they would break our spirits and weaken us is making a bitter mistake," he said.

Settlement watchdog Peace Now, however, said that retroactively granting legal status to Havat Gilad, built without development plans or construction permits, was "cynical exploitation" of Shevach's death.

Israeli settlements are seen as illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

But Israel differentiates between settlements it has approved and those it has not.

Those without approval are referred to as outposts and tend to be populated by hardline religious nationalists who see the entire West Bank as part of Israel.

Past attempts by Israeli authorities to dismantle Havat Gilad have led to clashes with settlers there.

Israel has several times given retroactive approval to outposts, and last year work began on the first completely new government-sanctioned settlement built in the Palestinian territories in quarter of a century.

Israel faced sharp criticism from the administration of former US president Barack Obama over settlement construction, but that has not been the case with Trump's White House. Israeli officials have sought to take advantage of this.

Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6 was also hailed by Israelis, while deeply angering the Palestinians who also see the city as their capital.

European officials and UN bodies have maintained their strong opposition to settlement building as well as the long-standing consensus that the status of Jerusalem must be negotiated.</s>JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister says it will legalize an isolated West Bank outpost in response to the murder of one of its residents.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday that those who try to “break our spirit and weaken us made a grave mistake.” He says his government will legalize Havat Gilad to “allow the continuing of normal life there.”

Earlier this month, Havat Gilad resident Rabbi Raziel Shevah, a 35-year-old father of six, was shot dead from a passing vehicle as he drove near his home in the unauthorized settlement outpost near Nablus. The community of a few hundred Israelis is located deep inside the West Bank.

The anti-settlement Peace Now group says the effort to legalize it is a “cynical exploitation of the murder.”</s>JERUSALEM — Israel’s prime minister says it will legalize an isolated West Bank outpost in response to the murder of one of its residents.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday that those who try to “break our spirit and weaken us made a grave mistake.” He says his government will legalize Havat Gilad to “allow the continuing of normal life there.”

Earlier this month, Havat Gilad resident Rabbi Raziel Shevah, a 35-year-old father of six, was shot dead from a passing vehicle as he drove near his home in the unauthorized settlement outpost near Nablus. The community of a few hundred Israelis is located deep inside the West Bank.

The anti-settlement Peace Now group says the effort to legalize it is a “cynical exploitation of the murder.”</s>JERUSALEM — Israel on Sunday said it plans to legalize an isolated West Bank outpost in response to the murder of one of its residents in a shooting attack last month.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his weekly Cabinet meeting that his government will legalize Havat Gilad to “allow the continuing of normal life there.”

“Whoever thought that through the reprehensible murder of a resident of Havat Gilad, a father of six, that our spirit can be broken and we can be weakened, is making a bitter mistake,” Netanyahu said.

Last month, Rabbi Raziel Shevah, 35, was shot dead from a passing vehicle as he drove near his home in the unauthorized settlement outpost near the Palestinian city of Nablus. The Israeli military is still searching the area for suspects.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, areas the Palestinians want for a future state. Israel has established about 120 West Bank settlements, which it considers legal. In addition, about 100 settlement outposts have been erected without official approval but Israel generally tolerates them. Most of the international community considers all Jewish West Bank settlements illegal.

Havat Gilad, a community of a few hundred Israelis, is among these rogue outposts and is located deep inside the West Bank, away from areas Israel expects to keep under any peace deal with the Palestinians. Critics see their expansion as complicating peace efforts.

The anti-settlement group Peace Now called the effort to legalize the outpost a “cynical exploitation of the murder.”

Meanwhile, Israel on Sunday demolished a two-classroom school in a Bedouin community in the West Bank, saying the EU-funded structure was built illegally without proper permits and that it was in a precarious condition. The school served nearly 30 third and fourth-grade students who were moved to a nearby guesthouse and barbershop to continue classes.

A statement from Cogat, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said the demolition came after a challenge in Israel’s Supreme Court was overruled.

The demolition took place near the settlement of Maaleh Adumim, in the 60 percent of the West Bank known as Area C that remains under full Israeli control. Israel has imposed severe restrictions on Palestinian development in this area, home to dozens of Israeli settlements.

The EU funds the construction of many homes, schools and other structures in the area and says the projects are needed for humanitarian reasons and economic development.

Israel says that any assistance to Palestinians in Area C must be coordinated with authorities.</s>The Israeli government is due on Sunday to discuss giving retroactive approval to a wildcat settlement in the occupied West Bank, where an Israeli rabbi was shot dead last month.

The official agenda for Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting says ministers will hear a motion to designate the 15-year-old Havat Gilad outpost as a “new community” which will have the necessary building permits and a state budget.

Rabbi Raziel Shevah was shot dead near Havat Gilad, where he lived, on January 9.

The following week, Israeli troops searching for his attackers shot dead a Palestinian suspect in the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of Havat Gilad.

At Shevah’s funeral there were calls for “revenge” during a speech by Education Minister Naftali Bennett of the far-right Jewish Home party.

Bennett responded by saying that the only revenge should be in building more settlements.

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, sponsor of the forthcoming cabinet motion, spoke on Wednesday of getting official recognition for Havat Gilad.

“We promised and the proposal to normalise Havat Gilad outpost as a regular community will be brought to the cabinet for approval this coming Sunday,” Lieberman wrote on Twitter.

According to his cabinet motion the outpost was founded in 2002 and currently houses about 40 families.

Israeli settlements are seen as illegal under international law and major obstacles to peace as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Israel however differentiates between settlements it has approved and those it has not.

Those without approval are referred to as outposts and are typically populated by hardline religious nationalists who see the entire West Bank as part of Israel.

Past attempts by Israeli authorities to dismantle Havat Gilad have led to clashes with settlers there.

Israel has several times given retroactive approval to outposts and last year work began on the first government-sanctioned settlement built in the Palestinian territories in some 25 years.

Israel faced sharp criticism from the administration of former US president Barack Obama over settlement construction, but that has not been the case with Donald Trump’s White House and Israeli officials have sought to take advantage.

European nations and the UN maintain their strong opposition to settlement building.
The Cabinet of Israel decides to legalize a previously unauthorized outpost "deep inside the [occupied] West Bank", Havat Gilad, allegedly in reaction to the recent killing of an Israeli rabbi there.