Terror boss Netanyahu reaffirms support for Jewish squatter colonies on stolen Palestinian land

Hebron Jewish squatters

Nureddin Sabir, Editor, Redress Information & Analysis, writes:

Whatever delusions you may have harboured about the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, now is the time to shed them.

On 24 January Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his support for Jewish squatter colonies in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, the Associated Press news agency reported.

His statement of support comes just days after dozens of Jewish squatters armed with crowbars descended on two homes in the old city of Hebron.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu expressed his full support for squatter colonies, describing the squatters’ actions in Hebron as a “courageous stand”.

“The government supports settlement at any time, especially now when it is under terrorist assault and is taking a courageous and determined stand in the face of terrorist attacks,” Netanyahu said.

The theft of the two Palestinian homes in Hebron, which took place on 21 January and was captured on video,  was described by Israeli blogger Edo Konrad as “disturbing”.

Jewish squatters armed with crowbars break into Palestinian homes on 21 January

Writing in +972 Magazine, Konrad says:

The phrase “settler takeover” is used fairly often by the international media to discuss a common occurrence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. But rarely do the cameras actually capture just how this kind of thing is done. That’s why the sight of dozens of Israeli settlers with crowbars descending on two homes in the old city of Hebron is as surprising as it is disturbing.

The settlers, who took over the buildings on Thursday, claimed to have purchased the properties, located near the Cave of the Patriarchs…

According to Israeli political analyst Tal Schneider, the decision to take over the two homes was orchestrated by high-ranking members within the ruling Likud party, none of whom actually lives in West Bank settlements.

He continues:

Palestinians claimed the property was purchased using forged documents, but Israel’s Supreme Court rejected that claim. Settlers often buy Palestinian land through front companies, the most famous of which is named Al-Watan (homeland in Arabic)…

Jewish squatter colonies in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace efforts since they occupy land Palestinians see as part of their future state.

That land has now mostly vanished. With it, all hope of a peace settlement based on the so-called “two states for two peoples” formula has gone up in smoke.

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