A senior official in the administration of US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the US position on the issue of legalizing settlement outposts, which are considered illegal even in Israeli law, and expanding settlements, is a clear position in his opposition to these steps. .
The official added in the statement, which reached Al-Quds.com: “We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements, and we are deeply concerned about reports about the process of legalizing outposts that are illegal under Israeli law,” stressing that they are in the US administration are seeking "to obtain more information from the Israeli government about what was actually decided.
The Biden administration has said it opposes any unilateral moves by Israel that could derail efforts to negotiate a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including settlement expansion and annexation.
This came, after the Israeli Security Council announced, on Sunday, its decision to legalize nine illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and turn them into new settlements, according to the Israeli Prime Minister´s Office.
According to the American Axios website: "The decision - the first to legalize illegal outposts by the Israeli government since 2012 - was approved despite the objections of the Biden administration, which makes it expected to create tensions between the United States and Israel."
The website says: "During a five-hour cabinet meeting, Israeli ministers discussed the recent escalation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and decided to expand the police operation in neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, according to what the Prime Minister´s Office announced. The Palestinian Cabinet also decided to increase the number of police forces and border guards. In Jerusalem, expanding the scope of the police operation against the Palestinians, whom the occupation authorities accuse of inciting and supporting terrorism.
Axios quotes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that the operations will focus on those involved in terrorism without any collective punishment, which human rights groups have accused the Israeli government of using to punish families of suspected terrorists.
In addition to legalizing the nine outposts, the cabinet decided to connect dozens of other illegal outposts to state infrastructure such as water and electricity, and to approve the planning and construction of thousands of new housing units in the settlements, according to an official who attended. the meeting," Netanyahu´s office said. The Planning and Zoning Committee of the Civil Administration, which approves new construction in the settlements, will meet in the coming days to approve the construction of new housing units in the existing settlements in the West Bank.
The site indicated that "the prime minister´s statement did not mention the number of housing units that will be approved. However, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the cabinet decided to approve plans and building permits for 10,000 new housing units in the settlements. This would be an unprecedented number of approved housing units.” At the same time".
According to the site, the security cabinet´s decision is the first time that the new right-wing government has approved new construction in Israeli settlements, which much of the international community considers illegal under international law, and that the last time. The Israeli government approved new construction in settlements more than a year ago, from a year ago.
Axios quotes Netanyahu´s office as saying in a statement, "The decision regarding outposts and settlements came in response to two recent attacks in Jerusalem that killed 10 Israelis."
According to Axios: “Three Israeli officials said that the Israeli government informed the administration in advance of Sunday’s Biden’s decision, and that the important person on the Israeli side was Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who was in contact with the US ambassador to Israel Tom. Nedis and White House coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk,” while Israeli officials told the site, “The Biden administration expressed its strong opposition to the Israelis privately in the days leading up to the cabinet decision and made it clear that it would publicly condemn.” the decision once it was approved.
Washington: We strongly oppose settlement expansion
