Only a few months ago, the law was believed to have little chance of coming up for a vote. Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was flying back from a meeting with Britain’s leaders as the law was being debated, seemed to oppose its passage for fear of further international censure.

The bill had been so contentious that the nation’s attorney general, who described it as unconstitutional and in contravention of international law, said he would not defend it in the high court, which seemed in any case likely to nullify it.

That is partly because the law applies to Palestinians and their property rights. Since Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are not Israeli citizens and cannot vote for candidates for Israel’s Parliament, or Knesset, critics of the legislation say it is inherently anti-democratic. Under the law, Palestinian landowners will be offered compensation for the long-term use of their property but will not be able to reclaim it.

But the bill gained internal momentum through several forces: Mr. Netanyahu is determined to show his support to the powerful settler movement, and is under pressure from hard-liners on the right and from corruption investigations that even his supporters say appear serious. That pressure intensified last week after Mr. Netanyahu’s government carried out a court order to evacuate about 40 settler families at the Amona outpost, declared illegal a decade ago.

“Today Israel decreed that developing settlement in Judea and Samaria is an Israeli interest,” said Bezalel Smotrich, a right-wing lawmaker, using the biblical names for the West Bank. “From here we move on to expanding Israeli sovereignty and continuing to build and develop settlements across the land.”</s>The Knesset late Monday night passed historic legislation hailed by the Right for legalizing some 4,000 settler homes and attacked by the Left as the first step toward de facto annexation.



Its passage by a vote of 60-52 marks the first time that the Knesset has sought to impose Israeli law in Area C of the West Bank, which is under Israeli military and civilian rule. That territory is considered to be outside the Knesset’s purview and such an action could be viewed as an initial application of sovereignty.

"This is a historic step toward the completion of a process that we plan to lead; the application of full Israeli sovereignty on all the cities and communities in Judea and Samaria,” said MK Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi). Smotrich and Likud MK Yoav Kisch both are co-chairs of the Knesset Land of Israel Caucus, that helped sponsor the bill.Bayit Yehudi party Naftali Bennett tweeted one word. “Revolution.”“Our determination paid off,” a jubilant Bennett said, as he thanked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party for supporting the vote.“To our friends in the opposition who are surprised that a nationalist government would pass a bill in favor of the settlements – that’s democracy,” he added.Left-wing Israeli non-governmental groups Peace Now, Yesh Din and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel immediately promised to petition the High Court of Justice against the legislation.Ahead of the voting, opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog called on the coalition to halt the vote, claiming that its consequences will harm Israel.“This vote is not about whether we are with or against the settlers, it’s about what the State of Israel needs,” he said. “This government is passing a bill that is an acute danger to the State of Israel,” he continued. “Never in the history of Israel has the Knesset passed a bill against state laws and against the senior legal advisers of the government.“This legislation is de facto annexation,” he continued. “Our opposition to the law stems from our opposition to annexation... We have just a few more minutes to stop this terrible train before it leaves here and stops at The Hague.”Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis dismissed claims that the bill advances a bi-national state.“We will not annex territories with Palestinians. They have their own Palestinian rule and they can vote for the Palestinian parliament,” he said. “We heard all the claims about the bill contradicting international law, and that the Supreme Court will overrule it. It is all nonsense.”Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin blamed the opposition for mentioning the international community and the ICC as reason to object the bill.“It’s about time that you’ll understand that this is our country. It transcends politics and you and should be ashamed of yourselves,” he said.The vote took place without Netanyahu, who was still on his way back from London after meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May. Likud MK Bennie Begin voted against the legislation, the only coalition MK to do so.The bill’s passage ends months of bitter debate over the legislation, both within the right-wing parties and between the coalition and the opposition.Netanyahu had initially appeared to oppose the legislation, and there was much speculation that he had changed his position due to pressure from Bayit Yehudi.Earlier in the day, Netanyahu told reporters in London that he would be in the Knesset for the vote, as he dismissed speculation that he wanted to torpedo the legislation.Just one day earlier, Netanyahu had said he wanted to coordinate the bill’s passage with US President Donald Trump and his new administration, which led to speculation that he would not authorize the legislation until after his February 15 meeting with the president in Washington.In London, where he met with British Prime Minister Theresa May, the premier said he merely wanted to make sure that there would be no surprises between friends, a problem that plagued his relationship with former US president Barack Obama. “I said I would act according to our national interests and it is in our best interest not to surprise our friends, certainly not our very good friends. Friends do not surprise each other,” Netanyahu said.In a veiled reference to reports that Bayit Yehudi had pressured him to support the legislation, which had begun as a private members bill, Netanyahu said, “I am acting responsibly and not according to any kind of dictates.”UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov urged Israel to refrain from approving the legislation.“If adopted into law, it will have far-reaching legal consequences for Israel and greatly diminish the prospects for Arab-Israeli peace. The bill has been deemed unconstitutional by the attorney-general of Israel and is in contravention of international law. I urge Israeli legislators to reconsider this move,” he stressed.MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Union) noted that most factions in the coalition opposed the bill and called upon them to have the courage to resist pressure from Bayit Yehudi to pass it.Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid said the only reason the bill was being advanced was that coalition MKs realized that Netanyahu has been weakened as a result of the ongoing criminal investigations against him, and so they see that now would be a good time to pressure him.The legislation is set to retroactively legalize some 4,000 settler homes on private Palestinian land and offers to compensate its owners. The intention is to prevent future demolitions, like the one that occurred last week in the Amona outpost.Approval of the legislation runs counter to almost 40 years of Israeli judicial rulings against the construction of homes on private Palestinian property.Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit has warned that the legislation is unconstitutional and would not withstand any legal challenges.Culture Minister Miri Regev had warned that if the High Court of Justice overruled the law, the government would be justified in taking immediate steps to annex Judea and Samaria. She went on to warn that if the court took that step, it would further inflame tensions.Left-wing opponents also raised concerns that it would sway the International Criminal Court to rule on the issue of West Bank settlements.Last week, the Knesset House Committee voted in favor of limiting the discussion on the bill in order to prevent filibusters by the opposition.“We, the opposition factions’ members, said again and again that we object to the way the discussions are made and that they are not according to the Knesset regulations,” said MK Dov Henin (Joint List).“Never in the Knesset history [did it] happen that such a fundamental debate takes place as if it is something minor, and MKs can decide whether to show up or not. Therefore, all opposition factions decided not to cooperate with this anti-parliamentary move, especially in a bill whose lawfulness is in doubt,” he added.The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement late Monday expressing concerns over the legislation.This law “will be harmful to Israel’s image internationally and could undermine future efforts to achieving a two-state solution,” the statement said. “The bill may also trigger severe international legal repercussions.”

var cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>



`; document.getElementById("linkPremium").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });</s>On Monday, the Israeli parliament approved the Regulation Law that retroactively legalizes almost 4,000 Israeli homes in the West Bank.

"This represents a further serious setback for the Middle East Peace Process," Flanagan stated. "It has been widely criticised both internationally and by many in Israel. It is a deepening of the settlements and a flagrant violation of international law."

Flanagan urged the Israeli government not to implement the law and reiterated Ireland's commitment to a two-state solution that benefits both Israelis and Palestinians.

Over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to United Nations figures. The settlements are considered illegal by the United Nations, and West Bank territory is considered occupied territory by the International Court of Justice. The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967.</s>“I want to think that Israel and its government will find an opportunity to reconsider the law … Israel's expediting colonization of the Palestinian territories due to the adoption of the law will lead to a de-facto annexation of these territories,” Hollande told reporters after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris.

On Monday, the so-called Regulation Law was approved 60 to 52 despite the December UN Security Council resolution calling on Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the area.

The adoption of the law caused international opposition, exacerbating the already tense relations between Israel and Palestine. The Palestinians are calling for international sanctions against Israel.</s>Roughly translated as the 'Regularization Law,' the new measure does not allow Jewish settlers to own the land they live on but does allow them to stay in their homes, while Palestinian owners cannot retake or own the land, "until there is a diplomatic resolution of the status of the territories."

According to Haaretz, the bill was drafted ostensibly to "regulate settlement in Judea and Samaria and allow its continued establishment and development." Detractors see the legislation as justification for ongoing land theft on the West Bank.

Dan Meridor, former minister of Likud, the party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote an op-ed in Haaretz calling the law "evil and dangerous," and pointing out that Palestinian land ownership has never been regulated by parliament because "the Arabs of Judea and Samaria did not vote for the Knesset, and it has no authority to legislate for them. These are basic principles of democracy and Israeli law."

The bill affects sixteen settlements, and gives the justice ministry the power to add more, as they see fit.

The bill retroactively 'legalizes' Jewish settlements built on Palestinian land, and has been condemned by the international community.</s>European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini addresses a joint news conference with Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj (unseen) at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

BRUSSELS/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The European Union's foreign policy chief and the United Nations secretary-general on Tuesday criticized an Israeli move to legalize thousands of settler homes on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.

The EU's Federica Mogherini said that the law, if it was implemented, crossed a new and dangerous threshold.

"Such settlements constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten the viability of a two-state solution," she said.

"(It) would further entrench a one-state reality of unequal rights, perpetual occupation and conflict," she said, highlighting that the EU sees Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as illegal.

The Israeli parliament passed the legislation two weeks after the inauguration of President Donald Trump as the new U.S. president. Trump has signaled a softer approach to the settlement issue than that of the previous U.S. administration.

It retroactively legalizes about 4,000 settler homes built on privately owned Palestinian land.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the action went against international law and would have legal consequences for Israel.

"The Secretary-General insists on the need to avoid any actions that would derail the two-state solution," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, referring to longstanding international efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

French President Francois Hollande also added his voice to the condemnation, saying it paved the way for the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories.

"I think that Israel and its government could revise this text," Hollande said at news conference after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas called the law an aggression against the Palestinian people. Other Palestinian leaders described it as a blow to their hopes of statehood.

Most countries consider the settlements, built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War, illegal and an obstacle to peace as they reduce and fragment the territory Palestinians seek for a viable state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Israel disputes this and cites biblical, historical and political connections to the land, as well as security needs.

Though the legislation was backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, it has raised tensions in the government. Israel's attorney-general has said the law is unconstitutional and that he will not defend it at the Supreme Court.

A White House official said on Monday that, given the new law is expected to face challenges in Israeli courts, the United States would withhold comment for now.

The Trump administration has signaled a far softer approach to the settlement issue than that of the Obama administration, which routinely denounced settlement announcements.</s>PARIS: The ramp-up of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories opens the way to their annexation, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday.

Israel passed a law on Monday retroactively legalising about 4,000 settler homes built on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, a measure that has drawn international concern.

The ramp-up of settlements "would open the way to the annexation of occupied territories", Hollande said at news conference after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"I think that Israel and its government could revise this text," Hollande added.

"This law is contrary to international law," Abbas said. "It's an aggression against our people," he added.</s>Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a contentious law meant to retroactively legalize thousands of West Bank settlement homes built unlawfully on private Palestinian land, a step that is expected to trigger international outrage and a flurry of lawsuits against the measure.

The explosive law is the latest in a series of pro-settler steps taken by Israel’s hard-line government since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. He is seen as more sympathetic to Israel’s settlement policies than his fiercely critical predecessor, and the Israeli government has approved plans to build thousands of new homes on occupied territory since Trump took office.

“We are voting tonight on our right to the land,” Cabinet minister Ofir Akunis said during a stormy debate ahead of the vote. “We are voting tonight on the connection between the Jewish people and its land. This whole land is ours. All of it.”

Critics say the legislation enshrines into law the theft of Palestinian land, and it is expected to be challenged in Israel’s Supreme Court. According to the law, Palestinian landowners would be compensated either with money or alternative land, even if they did not agree to give up their property.

The vote passed 60-52 in Israel’s 120-member Knesset following a raucous debate in which opposition lawmakers shouted from their seats at governing coalition lawmakers speaking in favour of the vote from the dais. Some legislators supportive of the law took pictures of the plenum during the vote while some spectators in visitors’ seats raised black cloth in apparent protest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had voiced misgivings about the law in the lead-up to vote, reportedly expressing concern that it could lead to international censure and saying he wanted to co-ordinate with the Trump administration before moving ahead on a vote.

He told reporters on a trip to London that he had updated Washington and was ready to move ahead with the law. He was on his way back from the trip and was not present for the vote.

The White House’s immediate response was to refer to its statement last week that said the construction of new settlements “may not be helpful” in achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Netanyahu’s attorney general has called the bill unconstitutional and said he won’t defend it in the Supreme Court. Critics have warned it could drag Israel into a legal battle at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, which is already pursuing a preliminary examination into settlements.

Among the law’s problematic elements is that the West Bank is not sovereign Israeli territory and that Palestinians who live there are not citizens and do not have the right to vote for the government that imposed the law on them.

“This is an escalation that would only lead to more instability and chaos. It is unacceptable. It is denounced and the international community should act immediately,” said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Netanyahu faced intense pressure from within his nationalist coalition, especially from the pro-settler Jewish Home party, to press ahead with the vote following the court-ordered evacuation last week of the illegal Amona outpost found to have been built on private Palestinian land. Over 40 settler families were forced to leave the 20-year-old outpost, and on Monday construction vehicles demolished and removed the trailer homes that remained behind.

Opposition legislators said Netanyahu’s support for the law was a high-stakes risk meant solely to curry favour with settler constituents and their potent political lobby.

“For how many settler votes is Netanyahu willing to pass a law that he admits will drag us to The Hague?” Zehava Galon, leader of the dovish Meretz party, wrote on Facebook ahead of the vote. “The prime minister declares that the legalization bill is dangerous for Israel and instead of standing on his hind legs to stop this shameful law, he presses ahead with it.”

After years of condemnations from the Obama administration over settlement construction, Israel’s government has ramped up settlement initiatives since Trump took office, announcing plans for some 6,000 new homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and promising to build a new settlement for the Amona evacuees.

Trump has signalled a far more accepting approach to settlements, raising hopes in Netanyahu’s government that it will be able to step up construction. The White House said little as Netanyahu announced plans during Trump’s first two weeks in office to build over 6,000 new settler homes. But after Netanyahu announced his plan to establish a new settlement for the first time in two decades, Trump indicated that he, too, might have his limits.

“While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal,” the White House said.

The Palestinians want the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip – territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war – for their future state. Much of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to reaching peace with the Palestinians. Shortly before leaving office, President Barack Obama allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution declaring settlements illegal. Obama cited the Israeli outpost legislation as a reason for not vetoing the resolution.

Before the law passed, the U.N. Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, called on lawmakers to vote against the law, saying that “it will have far-reaching legal consequences for Israel and greatly diminish the prospects for Arab-Israeli peace.”</s>(JERUSALEM) — A new Israeli law legalizing dozens of unlawfully built West Bank settlement outposts came under heavy criticism on Tuesday from some of Israel's closest allies, as local rights groups prepared to ask the Supreme Court to overturn the measure.

Amid the uproar, the Trump administration remained quiet about the law — paving the way for further possible action by emboldened Israeli hard-liners ahead of a trip to the White House by Israel's prime minister next week.

The law was "a first step in a series of measures that we must take in order to make our presence in Judea and Samaria present for years, for decades, for ages," Israeli Cabinet Minister Yariv Levin said, using the biblical name for the West Bank. "I do believe that our right over our fatherland is something that cannot be denied."

The law, passed late Monday, sets out to legalize dozens of West Bank settler outposts built on privately owned Palestinian land. Proponents claimed the communities, home to thousands of people and in some cases decades old, were built in "good faith" and quietly backed by a string of Israeli governments.

But critics said the law amounts to legalized land theft. They also said it is legally problematic by imposing Israeli law on occupied land that is not sovereign Israeli territory and where its Palestinian residents do not have citizenship or the right to vote.

The Palestinians seek the West Bank and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future independent state. Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements illegal and counterproductive to peace. Some 600,000 Israelis now live in the two areas.

In Paris, Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said the law puts "the last nail in the coffin of the two-state solution" and accused the Israeli government of "trying to legalize looting Palestinian land."

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "deep regret" over the bill, saying it was "in contravention of international law and will have far-reaching legal consequences for Israel."

"The secretary-general insists on the need to avoid any action that would derail the two-state solution," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Some of Israel's closest allies, including Germany, Britain and the Czech Republic, also condemned the legislation.

Germany's Foreign Ministry said its faith in Israel's commitment to a two-state solution was "deeply shaken." Britain's minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, said the law "damages Israel's standing with its international partners."

Jordan, a key Arab ally, said such "provocative acts" could "fuel the anger of Muslims and drag the region to more violence and extremism."

Turkey's tourism minister, Nabi Avci, visiting Israel as part of a reconciliation process, said he hoped Israel's Supreme Court would make the "right decision" and strike down the law.

Prominent Israeli advocacy groups, including Peace Now, the Arab rights group Adalah, and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, all announced plans to file legal challenges.

"There's going to be a legal battle against this bill," said Lior Amihai, spokesman for Peace Now.

Legal experts say the law is problematic and Israel's attorney general has said he will not defend it in court. Netanyahu has also expressed misgivings, reportedly saying it could drag Israel into international legal prosecution, though in the end he agreed to support it. In December, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution declaring settlements illegal.

Netanyahu missed Monday's vote because he was flying back from a visit to Britain.

The International Criminal Court in the Hague already is conducting a preliminary investigation into Israeli settlement policy.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Paris for talks with French President Francois Hollande, said he would seek to fight the new law in international organizations.

"What we want is peace ... but what Israel does is to work toward one state based on apartheid," Abbas said.

Yuval Shany, a law professor at Israel's Hebrew University, said the Supreme Court will "most likely" strike down the law.

He said it generates "considerable problems," including likely violations of property rights, infringement of human dignity and the attorney general's opposition.

But he said the legal challenges could drag on, in part because the law lays out a gradual process for confiscating lands. He said it would take years for the outposts to be fully legalized, alongside the roughly 130 existing Israeli settlements that dot the West Bank.

In all, the law would legalize some 3,900 homes built on private Palestinian land — about 800 in unauthorized outposts and the remainder in recognized settlements. The original landowners would be eligible for financial compensation of 125 percent of the land's value, as determined by Israel, or a comparable piece of alternative property.

It is hard to find a comparable international precedent for the Israeli action. In breakaway northern Cyprus, attempts by Turkish Cypriot authorities to issue ownership certificates for property seized from displaced Greek Cypriots have been struck down in European courts.

Netanyahu's governing coalition is dominated by West Bank settlers and their political allies. The Jewish Home party, which has ties to the settler movement, put heavy pressure on Netanyahu to allow Monday's vote after the court-ordered demolition last week of the illegal outpost of Amona. Jewish Home came under fierce criticism for failing to prevent the demolition and has vowed to prevent further court-ordered evacuations.

After repeated clashes with President Barack Obama over settlements, Netanyahu and his settler allies have become emboldened by Trump's election.

The new U.S. president has signaled a much softer approach than any of his predecessors. Trump's campaign platform made no mention of a Palestinian state, departing from two decades of American policy, his designated ambassador to Israel is a settler ally, and a delegation of settler leaders was invited to his inauguration.

Encouraged by these signs, Israel has announced plans to build more than 6,000 settler homes. Jewish Home has also called on Israel to annex the 60 percent of the West Bank where settlements are located.

According to Peace Now, which closely monitors settlement activity, officials are scheduled to meet Wednesday to push for an additional 1,200 settlement homes.

Israel's future settlement plans could hinge on Netanyahu's Feb. 15 visit to the White House.

Trump has not condemned any of the latest Israeli settlement plans. But last week, he signaled that he too may have his limits, saying that settlements "may not be helpful" to promoting peace.

Netanyahu is expected to try to reach understandings with Trump on how much settlement construction might be tolerated.

Naftali Bennett, head of the Jewish Home party, told Israel's Army Radio that the goal of the bill was to create the same conditions in the settlements as in Israel proper.

"At the end of the day, behind all the talk there is a simple question: What do we want for the future of Israel?" he said.</s>"The Secretary-General deeply regrets the adoption of the so called "Regularisation bill" on 6 February by the Knesset. This bill is in contravention of international law and will have far reaching legal consequences for Israel," the spokesman said.

According to Dujarric, the secretary-general insists that any actions potentially impeding the two-state solution should be avoided and all key issues should be settled through direct negotiations "on the basis of relevant Security Council resolutions and mutual agreements".

On December 23, 2016, the UN Security Council voted 14-0, with the United States abstaining, to pass a resolution calling on Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the areas.

However, in January, Israeli authorities approved the construction of thousands of new housing units in the occupied West Bank despite the resolution.
Israel passes the Regulation Law which retroactively legalizes 4,000 housing units in 16 settlements on Area C West Bank occupied Palestinian territories.