Smotrich Applies Biden Admin's Logic, Announces Thousands of New Settlements in West Bank
U.S. rejected ceasefire and defended Israel's occupation of Gaza in front of the ICJ
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s extremist finance minister, announced Thursday that the committee responsible for approving settlement construction in the occupied West Bank approved thousands of new settlements, repeating the Biden administration’s line that Israel’s security trumps all.
Richard Visek, the U.S. State Department’s acting legal adviser, told the International Court of Justice earlier this week that it should not endorse the opinions from some nations that Israel should withdraw from Gaza.
“The court should not find that Israel is legally obligated to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from occupied territory,” he said. “Any movement towards Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration of Israel’s very real security needs.”
Smotrich evidently agreed and announced these new settlements as though they are a security measure.
“May every terrorist planning to harm us know that any lifting of a hand against Israeli citizens will be met with a death blow and the destruction, and the deepening of our eternal grip on the entire Land of Israel,” The Times of Israel reported.
He said the committee would approve the construction of 2,350 units in “Ma’ale Adumim,” 300 in “Keidar,” and 694 in “Efrat,” Al Mayadeen reported.