AJC Urges Israeli Lawmakers to Reject Bill Authorizing Illegal Settlement Outposts

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is calling on Israeli legislators to reject the Regulation Bill, a proposed measure that would legalize settlement outposts in the West Bank which were built without government approval.

The bill has already passed its first reading, and is expected to be brought to the Knesset for its second and third readings on Monday.

Referring to the proposed bill, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party, has declared that "the era of the Palestinian state is over." The measure would retroactively legalize dozens of unauthorized settlement outposts.

On December 5, 2016, AJC's Board of Governors reaffirmed its long-standing support for a two-state solution. The statement emphasized that, notwithstanding the considerable challenges to a two-state solution, "it is the only realistic resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," and that an alternative one-state reality would be "simply untenable" and "an abrogation of the Zionist ideal of a Jewish and democratic state."

Further, AJC cautioned that "construction and the reclassification of outposts beyond the security barrier, and thus not anticipated to remain with Israel as a result of negotiated 'territorial swaps,' are not conducive to advancing prospects for peace."

Importantly, Israel's attorney-general has said that the proposed legislation likely violates international law, adding that he would be hard-pressed to defend the bill if it is challenged in the Israeli Supreme Court.

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SOURCE American Jewish Committee