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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Row over illegal West Bank settlement outpost splits Israeli cabinet

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 9 Feb 2023 14:03
3 Min Read

A dispute over an illegal settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank exposes the split in Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

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  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on January 3, 2023. (AFP)
    Israeli occupation PM Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting in occupied Al-Quds on January 3, 2023 (AFP)

Cracks have emerged within Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government, with a row over the demolition of an illegal settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank testing the coalition.

Netanyahu vowed in December to expand illegal settlements across the West Bank, as he returned to power at the helm of the most right-wing Israeli government.

But a split over policy on the ground surfaced last month when Israeli occupation troops moved in to dismantle an outpost in the northern West Bank dubbed "Or Haim" on orders from Security Minister Yoav Gallant.

However, Israeli occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir objected to its demolition. 

"There won't be one law for the Arabs and another for the Jews... law is law!" Ben-Gvir, said, calling for the demolition of Palestinian construction in the largest part of the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu backed Gallant over the outpost affair, claiming that settlements must be "coordinated in advance with the prime minister and security officials, which was not done in this case."

As a result, Smotrich boycotted a cabinet meeting in protest over the handling of the affair.

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Israeli occupation soldiers returned to the "Or Haim" illegal outpost two days after the initial evacuation to expel settlers attempting to rebuild in the area.

All settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed illegal under international law.

For Emmanuel Navon, a politics professor at "Tel Aviv" University, Smotrich's decision to skip the cabinet meeting was intended to "show his constituents that he cares about his agenda."

Navon suggested that Netanyahu will "focus on settlement expansion, not too much, not too little. He's always playing his game of equilibrium between international pressure and domestic pressure."

On Tuesday, several ministers in Netanyahu's extremist government, including Smotrich, expressed their rejection of US calls for halting the expansion of illegal settlements in Palestinian territories.

On Monday, sources reported that "Israel" announced it postponed the demolition of a building in the eastern part of occupied Al-Quds that houses 100 Palestinian families following calls from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to halt the expansion of illegal settlements.

The European Union had previously stated that it does not recognize Israeli occupation authority over the West Bank, noting that "Israel's" settlement expansion is a dangerous breach of international law.

However, a couple of days ago, Netanyahu's government issued an order to loot around 45 dunams of land in Beit Lahm in the central occupied West Bank to expand its illegal settlements on Palestinian land, local news agencies reported.

Read more: Netanyahu's ministers refuse halting expansion of illegal settlements

  • Palestine
  • Yoav Gallant
  • IOF
  • Israel
  • West Bank
  • Benjamin Netanyahu

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