Israel’s security Cabinet approved a plan to legalize 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, local media reported Friday, Anadolu reports. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting held late Thursday, when Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented the proposal to formalize 19 settlements in the West Bank. Some of the sites are newly established, while others already exist and will now be granted formal status. Among the settlements cited were Ganim and Kadim, which were evacuated in 2005 as part of Israel’s disengagement plan that also included the removal of settlements from the Gaza Strip, Channel 14 reported. Channel 14 reported the decision marks a “full return” to settlements in the northern West Bank, referring to the area by […]
