Bill to legalize West Bank outposts slammed by AG, Peace Now

Following the Ministerial Committee for Legislation’s approval of a bill that would legalize 66 West Bank outposts built on state land, the Attorney General’s Office releases a statement slamming the proposal and saying it “raises significant legal problems, which may even lead to international repercussions and expose Israel to significant risks in this respect.”

During the debate over the bill, Deputy Attorney General Raz Nizri warned the ministers that even if the land in question is deemed to be state-owned, it is not clear that the outposts in question were legally acquired by the settlers. However, the ministers dismissed Nizri’s concerns and voted to advance the bill regardless.

The Peace Now settlement watchdog blasts the move, saying that “the time has come to recognize the reality.”

“The right-wing government consists of lying and convicted criminals, who are dancing on the blood of terror victims in order to build and legalize the most organized crime in Israel – the settlement enterprise. It’s illegal, it’s unconstitutional, it’s immoral and it will not work,” the left-wing NGO says in a statement.

— Jacob Magid