Netanyahu’s settlement plans isolate Israel: Opposition figure
A senior Israeli opposition figure has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s settlement expansion policy in the occupied Palestinian territories, calling it the source of Israel’s isolation in the international arena.
The former minister for judicial affairs, Tzipi Livni, who is also the Hatnuah party leader, said the premier’s support for isolated West Bank settlements, has further de-legitimized Israel in the eyes of the international audience, adding, “The Israeli public has been brainwashed into believing that its global isolation stems from de-legitimization and anti-Semitism.”
On February 9, Israeli media reported that Tel Aviv had seized some four square-kilometers of Palestinian land near the settlements of Kedumim, Vered Yericho, Neveh Tzuf, and Emanuel.
Reports say Israel has made preparations to construct 18 residential projects in these areas, with more than 99 percent of the occupied land being allocated to settlements.
“If Israel is me and my policy is the state, then we cannot criticize my policy, and who ever criticizes me is anti-Zionist,” Livni further added, alluding to Netanyahu, who has no tolerance for any criticism and likens his critics as the enemies of the regime.
Meanwhile, Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) earlier in February submitted an open letter signed by as many as 400 rabbis from across the world to Netanyahu, to halt the Israeli policy of destroying Palestinian homes in the occupied territories, saying that the Israeli prime minister’s policies toward Palestinians are in contradiction to “international law.”
The letter was in reaction to Netanyahu’s recent decision to order the demolition of some 400 newly-built Palestinian houses in the occupied West Bank.
Over half a million Israelis live in more than 120 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem), in 1967.
The Israeli settlements are considered illegal by the United Nations, European Union and most countries.
Israel has witnessed a surge in its illegal settlement construction during Netanyahu’s tenure. Opponents to settlement expansion argue that Netanyahu has created a major obstacle in the way of efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
HJM/GHN/HMV
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