In response to a string of attacks in east Jerusalem, including one that resulted in the deaths of three Israelis, Israel’s security cabinet declared on Sunday that it would legalize nine settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement that included the term Israel uses for the West Bank, Palestinian territory it has occupied since 1967, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said: “In response to the murderous terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, the security cabinet unanimously decided to authorise nine communities in Judea and Samaria.”
“These communities have existed for many years; some have existed for decades,” it said.
These so-called “wild” settlements were developed without the Israeli government’s consent.\
“The Civil Administration Higher Planning Committee will be convened in the coming days to approve the construction of new residential units in existing communities in Judea and Samaria,” the statement said.
According to the report, the “security cabinet approved a number of other measures in the context of the steadfast struggle against terrorism,” including bolstering security in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu said earlier Sunday during a meeting of his government he wanted to “strengthen settlements”, which are illegal under international law.
In settlements in the West Bank, 2.8 million Palestinians live alongside more than 475,000 Israelis.
Additionally, Netanyahu stated that his administration planned to introduce legislation this week to the Knesset (parliament) to strip the Israeli citizenship of “terrorists.”
The restrictions apply to both Israeli Arabs and Palestinians who are legally residing in east Jerusalem, which Israel has seized.
