'Israel' greenlights West Bank settlement outposts, sanctions on PA
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the five settlement outposts are Evyatar, Givat Assaf, Sde Efraim, Heletz, and Adorayim.
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The Israeli settlement Fasayil Efraim is seen in the background of the site of demolished tents and shacks of Palestinians on the outskirts of the West Bank town of Duma, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed late Thursday that the Security Cabinet has approved the authorization of five West Bank settlement outposts and the imposition of additional sanctions on the Palestinian Authority.
Smotrich mentioned that the five outposts are Evyatar, Givat Assaf, Sde Efraim, Heletz, and Adorayim.
The announcement followed a break in the security cabinet's meeting during which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consulted with advisors due to concerns that the approvals might escalate tensions with the United States.
"The Security Cabinet authorized one outpost for every country that unilaterally recognized Palestine as a state in the last month," Smotrich pointed out.
The Israeli minister added that the so-called Higher Planning Council for the West Bank is set to meet to advance the approval of thousands of housing units in the settlements.
He indicated that "after weeks of discussions, the Israeli government promoted an appropriate response to the anti-Israeli measures led by the Palestinian Authority."
According to Smotrich, sanctions against the Palestinian Authority will include revoking exit permits for officials and increasing enforcement against what is deemed as "illegal" Palestinian buildings in Area C of the West Bank.
It is worth noting that the occupied West Bank was divided into three administrative sections under the 1993 Oslo Accords, with Area A managed by the Palestinian Authority, Area B under alleged shared sovereignty, and Area C – the largest area, accounting for around 60% of the occupied Palestinian territories – under full Israeli administrative and security control.
Smotrich considered that "the Palestinian Authority joined Hamas in trying to harm Israel in Israel and in the world and we will fight it."
"For those who needed proof, we got it on October 7. A Palestinian state in the heart of Israel is an existential danger, I will not allow such a disaster to be brought upon the State of Israel," he stressed.
Later, Israeli media reported that Smotrich will finalize moves to unfreeze tax funds withheld from the Palestinian Authority as part of a deal to gain cabinet approval for legalizing the aforementioned West Bank settlements outposts and implementing new sanctions on senior Palestinian officials.
Haaretz mentioned that the minister will also extend a waiver allowing Israeli banks to cooperate with their Palestinian counterparts.
Smotrich had initially vowed to withhold funds collected by "Israel" on behalf of the PA and let the bank waiver expire after June unless the Israeli government adopted a series of punitive measures against the PA in response to Norway, Spain, and Ireland's recognition of a Palestinian state, along with the PA's support for cases against "Israel" before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
IOF hand power over West Bank to pro-settler officials under Smotrich
Smotrich's latest announcement comes a week after The Guardian revealed that the Israeli occupation military discreetly transferred substantial legal authority in the occupied West Bank to Israeli extremist groups ganging up under the Israeli finance minister.
A directive published by the Israeli army on its website on May 29 shifts the responsibility for numerous bylaws within the so-called "Civil Administration", the Israeli body governing the West Bank, from the military to public employees working under Smotrich at the Security Ministry.
In addition, The New York Times reported that Smotrich was recorded telling supporters of the settler movement that the government is involved in a covert effort to alter how "Israel" administers the West Bank.
The newspaper indicated that the recording was from an event earlier in the month where Smotrich told supporters that the aim was preventing the West Bank from becoming part of a Palestinian state.
A spokesperson for Smotrich confirmed the authenticity of the recording, which the newspaper said was provided by a researcher from the Peace Now anti-settlement group who attended the event on June 9.
In the recording, Smotrich detailed his intentions to shift authority from the Israeli military to pro-settler officials within the Security Ministry, leveraging the extensive powers granted to him through his Religious Zionism party's coalition agreement with Netanyahu's Likud.
Smotrich stated, "We established a distinct civilian system," noting that, to avoid international scrutiny, the government has permitted the Security Ministry to maintain its involvement in the process, as reported by the Times.
"It will be easier to swallow in the international and legal context," he went on to say. "So that they won’t say that we are doing annexation here."
Smotrich also revealed that Netanyahu was "full on" with the plan.
Read more: Smotrich says his 'life’s mission' is to thwart Palestinian state
