Now Reading: Israel reopens West Bank settlement after 20 years
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Israel reopens West Bank settlement after 20 years
Israel officially reopened the West Bank settlement of Ganim on Thursday, more than 20 years after evacuating it under the 2005 disengagement plan. Defence Minister Israel Katz attended the ceremony, declaring, "Here,…
The Story in Brief
Israel officially reopened the West Bank settlement of Ganim on Thursday, more than 20 years after evacuating it under the 2005 disengagement plan. Defence Minister Israel Katz attended the ceremony, declaring, "Here, we are staying forever." The move is part of the current government's policy of rapid settlement expansion. About two dozen pre-fabricated homes have been installed, and construction machinery prepares new plots on the hillside.
Palestinians in the valley below fear the construction will worsen their lives or lead to long-term displacement. Israeli forces have demolished stores and blocked dirt roads to Palestinian communities in recent days. Over 500,000 Israelis now live in West Bank settlements among some 3 million Palestinians. Settlement construction has soared under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, with three of the four evacuated communities officially re-established.
The Indian Opinion
Headlines call this a "historic" reopening, but the word obscures a routine violation of international law and the steady erasure of Palestinian land. What is new is the government's declared end to evacuations and its open embrace of permanent annexation. The fate of the West Bank now hinges on whether the United States or the International Criminal Court will enforce the law, or let settlement facts on the ground seal a de facto annexation before anyone acts.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
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