Two ultranationalist Israeli cabinet ministers defiantly rejected on Tuesday a growing chorus of global condemnation of the construction of new Israeli settlements in the West Bank, vowing instead to double and legalize dozens of wild outposts in the occupied territory.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reaffirmed their commitment to expanding Israeli authority on land Palestinians seek for a future state. His comments came after the United States voiced opposition to the measure and as four European countries added their criticisms.
Smotrich, a religious settler, said he and his allies in the government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, remain “committed to completely removing restrictions on building in Judea and Samaria,” referring to the West Bank by its Biblical names. .
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“Disagreements are allowed, even between friends,” he added.
Ben-Gvir, who also lives in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, urged the United States and Europe to “stop worrying.”
“The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel,” he said emphatically. “Nine settlements is fine. But it’s still not enough. We want many more.”
Two Israeli cabinet members issued a rebuttal to US criticism of West Bank settlement construction. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
On Tuesday, some of Europe’s top diplomats joined the US in censuring Israel over its plans to build 10,000 new homes in existing West Bank settlements and retroactively legalize nine outposts. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet announced the move on Sunday, following a surge in violence in Jerusalem.
We are “deeply concerned by the Israeli government’s announcement,” read the joint statement by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US. “We strongly oppose these unilateral actions that will only serve to exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians”.
Israel’s Arab neighbors Jordan and Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia and Norway, similarly expressed great concern and strong opposition to the new settlement plans.
Still, there was no mention of possible consequences. Despite years of pent-up frustration and mounting rhetoric about rapidly expanding Israeli settlements threatening the realization of the two-state solution that has been a goal of the peace process for years, the US and the European Union they have avoided taking serious action.
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However, Israel’s new government could test the country’s closest ties. In a controversial coalition deal, Netanyahu promised Smotrich authority over the defense body responsible for planning both settlements and Palestinian construction in parts of the West Bank where Israel maintains civilian control.
Once he receives those powers, Smotrich vowed to “normalize” life for more than 500,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, blurring the differences between living in a settlement and within Israel’s internationally recognized border and effectively annexing the West Bank territory. Such a move would generate widespread backlash.
Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war. Most of the international community views Israeli settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Some 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem annexed by Israel.
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Ultranationalists opposed to Palestinian statehood make up the majority of Israel’s new government, which has declared settlement construction a top priority.
