The Israeli parliament has approved a draft bill that would legalize settler homes built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, a measure that has drawn condemnation by left-wing MPs and Israel’s close ally, the United States. Pro-settlement nationalists that dominate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government voted to move the bill through the Knesset on Wednesday. Palestinians have condemned the bill and also the international community’s inaction. Press TV reports: The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged the international community to “uphold its legal and ethical responsibilities of providing security to the Palestinians,” and “opposing the crimes, violations, and aggression driven by the Israeli occupation.” The call in a statement came a day after far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition passed its first reading of the bill in the Israeli parliament (Knesset). The measure would apply to some 2,000 to 3,000 illegal settler units in the West Bank, including the Amona outpost that is under a court order to be demolished by December 25. Over half a million Israelis live in more than 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem al-Quds. Israeli [...]
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