Very controversial: Israel legalizes settlements in West Bank “The young have discovered the luxury”

Israel has decided to legalize nine unauthorized outposts in the occupied West Bank following deadly Palestinian attacks in East Jerusalem. According to official information, this was decided on Sunday evening during a meeting of the security cabinet. The “Jerusalem Post” wrote that it was an “extremely rare move” that was also clearly against the will of the United States.

The nine settlements have existed for many years, some for decades, the statement said. According to the information, a responsible committee will meet in the coming days to approve the construction of further housing units in these settlements.

Israel’s settlement policy is highly controversial. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. In total, more than 600,000 Israeli settlers live there today. The Palestinians claim the territories for an independent state of Palestine with the Arab-influenced eastern part of Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel distinguishes between settlements created with government approval and “wild settlements”, which are intended to be legalized retroactively. Internationally, however, all settlements are illegal. In late 2016, the UN Security Council called on Israel to completely halt settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including annexed East Jerusalem.

The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been extremely tense for weeks. Nine Israelis and a Ukrainian have been killed in Palestinian attacks since the beginning of this year. Israeli army raids and their own attacks have killed 46 Palestinians this year alone. (sda/dpa)