Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government announced last week that it would legalize ten unauthorized West Bank outposts, including Givat Harel, a thriving village of more than 90 Jewish families, which is situated on land claimed by Palestinians.
The approval of the outposts, home to about 20,000 settlers, has increased tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, and Palestinian critics describe it as an effort to entrench Israeli rule over the West Bank and grab more occupied land.
Despite a U.S.-brokered agreement to halt recognition of new outposts, Netanyahu’s government granted approval for over 7,000 new homes in Jewish settlements across the West Bank, and some of those homes are located in outposts that remain unauthorized.
Most of the world considers all Israeli settlements in the West Bank as a violation of international law, and the approval of the outposts has triggered widespread condemnation.
