In addition to this decision, taken in retaliation of several attacks in East Jerusalem, the Israeli government intends to build new housing in the colonies and “strengthen”.
mo12345lemonde With AFP
The Israeli security firm announced Sunday, February 12, that it would legalize nine colonies in the occupied West Bank, after a series of attacks in East Jerusalem, including one that killed three on Friday.
“In response to the deadly terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, the political and security firm unanimously decided to legalize nine colonies in Judea-Samaria”, name used by Israel to designate the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel, announced a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “These colonies have existed for many years, some of them for decades,” said the press release. These, said, “wild”, were built without authorization from the Israeli government.
“In addition, the Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration, will meet in the coming days to approve the construction of new housing in the existing colonies in Judea-Samaria”, it is written. “The security firm has adopted other measures within the framework of the fight against terrorism”, in particular to strengthen the presence of the security forces in Jerusalem, continues the press release.
earlier Sunday, at a meeting of his government, Benjamin Netanyahu had announced that he wanted to “strengthen colonization”, illegal according to international law. More than 475,000 Israelis reside in colonies in the West Bank, where 2.8 million Palestinians live.
Décuisance de nationality and expulsion of terrorists
m. Netanyahu also announced that his government wanted to submit to the Knesset this week a law for “falling out of nationality (Israeli) and expeling terrorists”. These measures apply to the Israeli Arabs (descendants of the Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of the State of Israel in 1948) as well as to the Palestinians with the status of residents of East Jerusalem.
This announcement occurs in a context of outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence. On Friday, a Palestinian killed three Israelis, including two children in an attack that occurred in Ramot, a Jewish colonization district in East Jerusalem – part of the holy city annexed by Israel. And on Sunday, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager during an army raid in the north of the West Bank.
Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has cost the lives of at least 46 Palestinians (including combatants and civilians, including minors), nine Israeli civilians (including three minors), and one Ukrainian, according to a count of the France-Presse agency made from official Israeli and Palestinian sources.