Israel intends to advance plans for 3,000 new settler homes in the aftermath of the West Bank terror attack next to a checkpoint heading into Jerusalem, in which one man was killed, and another eight were injured.
“Let every terrorist plotting to harm us know that any raising of a hand against Israeli citizens will be met with a blow of death and destruction and the deepening of our eternal grip on the entire Land of Israel,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated.
He was one of a number of ministers who, together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, decided on the plan that is likely only to increase the tension between Israel and its Western allies, including the United States.
Further push to advance decision
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minster Ron Dermer also participated in the decision to advance the homes by convening a meeting of the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Council for Judea and Samaria next week.
The Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, located next to the site of the Thursday morning attack, is due to receive authorization for the construction of an additional 2,350 housing units.
The settlement located off of Route 1, as it heads to the Dead Sea, is the third largest Jewish city in the West Bank and has a population of over 38,000, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The Efrat settlement, with a population of over 11,800 according to the CBS, is due to receive authorization for 694 new housing units. Efrat is located next to the Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem, from where the terrorists originated.
The Kedar settlement, with a population of over 1,600 and located next to Ma’aleh Adumim, is slated to receive an additional 300 housing units.
The move came on the heels of US Middle East Envoy Brett McGurk’s meetings with Netanyahu, Gallant, and the War Cabinet on Thursday.
It also comes as the International Court of Justice is debating the illegality of Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank.
Among the arguments in favor of illegality is Israel’s continued settlement construction, which opponents argue is proof that Israel has already annexed the territory, a move which is illegal under international law.
The US is disappointed with Israel's announcement to approve thousands of new settlements in the West Bank, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday during a press conference in Buenos Aires with Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino.
Blinken expressed his condolences for the victims of the terror attack in Ma’aleh Adumim, and said the US continues to support Israel's right to self-defense and to deal with terrorism.
"It's been long-standing US policy, under Republican and Democratic administrations alike, that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching enduring peace. They're also inconsistent with international law," Blinken said. "Our administration maintains firm opposition to settlement expansion and in our judgment, it only weakens and doesn't strengthen Israel's security."
White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby also expressed disappointment in the approval of thousands of settlements in the West Bank during a call with reporters on Friday.
"It's been a long-standing US policy under both Republican and Democratic administrations that new settlements are counterproductive to the cause of peace. Frankly, they're also inconsistent with international law," Kirby said. "And this administration maintains our firm opposition to settlement expansion."