Israeli Defense Minister Jisrael Kac said on Friday that Israel would set up “the Jewish Israeli state” on the occupied West Bank. He said only a day after the ruling cabinet announced plans for building 22 new settlements in this area, TASR writes, according to the AFP report.
“This is a decisive answer to the terrorist organizations that seek to weaken our possession of this territory, and it is also a clear message (French President Emmanuel) Macron and his companions: they recognize the Palestinian state on paper, but we are actually building a Jewish Israeli state.” “This paper will end up in the trash of history and the Israeli state will prosper and flourish,” Kac continued.
Sanctions and pressure
At the same time, he stated that other states had nothing to threaten to Israel by sanctions, saying that Israel “would not bear his head against threats,” informs The Times of Israel (Toi).
Israel announced on Thursday that it will approve the construction of 22 new settlements on the occupied West Bank of Jordan. This includes the legalization of previously unauthorized settlements. The Guardian writes that they approved the proposal at last week’s secret vote of the security cabinet. The proposal was reportedly submitted by KAC and the Minister of Finance Becalel Smotrič, living in the settlement Kdumim on the West Bank of Jordan, which is considered illegal under international law.
Strategic step
KAC claims that the decision to set up a settlement strengthens the control of Israel over Judah and Samaria, using the biblical expression for the West Bank of Jordan. This is also a strategic step that prevents the establishment of a Palestinian state that, in his words, would endanger Israel.
Israel occupies the western shore of Jordan since the six -day war in 1967. There are approximately three million Palestinians living there and there is also a Palestinian self -government. At the same time, nearly 500,000 Israelis live in settlements that are illegal under international law. There are more than 100 different size – from small communities to fully developed municipalities with apartment buildings, shopping centers, factories and public parks.
