Netanyahu government to make West Bank settlements a top priority
Source: AP Newswire via The Independent (UK)
Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming hardline Israeli government has put West Bank settlement expansion at the top of its priority list, vowing to legalise dozens of illegally built outposts as part of its coalition deal with ultranationalist allies.
The coalition agreements, released a day before the government is to be sworn into office on Thursday, also included contentious judicial reforms, as well as generous stipends for ultra-Orthodox men who prefer to study instead of work.
The package laid the groundwork for what is expected to be a stormy beginning for the country’s most religious and right-wing government in history, potentially putting it at odds with large parts of the Israeli public, rankling Israel’s closest allies and escalating tensions with the Palestinians.
“What worries me the most is that these agreements change the democratic structure of what we know of as the state of Israel,” said Tomer Naor, chief legal officer of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a watchdog group. “One day we’ll all wake up and Mr Netanyahu is not going to be prime minister, but some of these changes will be irreversible.”
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/netanyahu-israel-west-bank-palestinians-b2252556.html
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