Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised yesterday to build a new settlement, the first since the late 1990s, to rehouse Jewish settlers evicted from an outpost, built on privately owned Palestinian land. Speaking during a memorial service in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, Netanyahu voiced empathy to the pain of the settlers who were evicted from their homes in the illegal outpost of Amona during the past couple of days.
“Me, and I’m sure that all of you, share the great pain of families who were forced to leave their homes, who were forced to abandoned their life project and we all understand how great is the pain. This is why we will establish a new settlement on state’s land. Yesterday I have already set up a committee that will locate a spot for the settlement and will begin preparing it. And we will work in order to make this happen as soon as possible,” said Netanyahu.
The initial announcement of the new settlement was issued by the Prime Minister’s office shortly after Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a government plan to rehouse some of the Amona settlers on an adjacent plot of land, ruling that the lands designated by the government were also privately owned by Palestinians. The declaration to establish the new settlement, also came after three separate announcements for new housing units, on lands the Palestinians demand for their future state, just 12 days since US President Donald Trump took office.
The series of Israeli declarations have brought about a response by Washington; US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a phone conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu last night during which the newly appointed American top diplomat emphasized that the United States believes that the expansion of the West Bank settlements past their borders does not contribute to achieving peace with the Palestinians.” A statement released by the White House said that even though the settlements were not an obstacle to peace, the establishment of new settlements and the expansion of existing settlements may not be helpful in advancing the peace process. Nevertheless, the White House stressed that the Trump administration had not yet expressed an official position about the settlement issue and that the matter would be discussed at President Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu when the Israeli leader visits Washington later this month.
Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi condemned Washington’s response to Israel’s settlement building policy, accusing the new American administration of what she termed as ‘being Israel’s partner in crime’. “So the thing is the messages that are being sent is that the U.S. is shifting, is changing from being a patron and protector of Israel, to being a partner in crime with Israel. Settlements are, by international law, are a war crime, and anybody who aids and abets a war crime is guilty of being complicit in the crime,” said Ashrawi.