"Born of Israel's settler community, the finance minister has subverted what few protections the Palestinian West Bank once had. Israel's recent move to deepen its control of the illegally occupied West Bank has drawn criticism from around the world, seen as a step towards the annexation of the Palestinian territory. But for one of the men behind Sunday's announcement, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, it marks a definite step forward in his long-running journey to entirely rewrite modern history and international law,"
"The new rules announced by the Israeli government effectively make it easier for Israeli Jews to seize Palestinian land, and expand illegal settlements in the West Bank allowing Jews to purchase land in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] just as they purchase [land] in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, as the statement put it. That a finance minister would exercise control over occupied territory may seem strange to those unfamiliar with the workings of Israeli politics."
Bezalel Smotrich was born into Israel's settler community and has used his office to undermine protections for Palestinians in the West Bank. New government rules simplify Jewish purchase of land in Judea and Samaria and facilitate expansion of illegal settlements and land seizures. Smotrich insisted on securing a foothold in the West Bank as a condition for joining Netanyahu's 2022 coalition, reflecting a settler ideology claiming biblical entitlement. Smotrich and fellow far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rose to international prominence after the 2023 Gaza war, pressing for escalation and threatening coalition collapse to maintain intensity. These developments accelerate occupation, erode international law protections, and deepen Israeli control over Palestinian territory.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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