UN: Outpost bill is ‘unequivocally illegal’

The UN human rights chief slams Israeli legislation to legalize outposts built on private Palestinian land as a clear violation of international law.

“I strongly urge lawmakers to reconsider their support for this bill, which if enacted, would have far-reaching consequences and would seriously damage the reputation of Israel around the world,” says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

He says that “in enabling the use of land privately owned by Palestinians for Israeli settlements without the owners’ consent, this legislation would violate international law. Israel as the occupying power, must respect the private property of Palestinians, regardless of whether or not compensation is provided.”

The bill passed its first Knesset reading last night.

— AFP