Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Feb 12, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
JERUSALEM – Ministers of the Israeli cabinet on Tuesday rejected calls by Western powers to halt settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, vowing to build thousands of new housing units and legalizing unauthorized outposts.
Foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States said in a joint statement on Tuesday they were "deeply troubled" by the Israeli government's decision to promote settlement construction and legalize nine wildcat outposts.
"We strongly oppose these unilateral actions which will only serve to exacerbate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and undermine efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution," said the statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced on Tuesday a plan to beef up security in Jerusalem following a string of deadly attacks at bus stops
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a hardline settler who is also in charge of settlement construction, later responded in a statement that he and his allies in the coalition government remain "committed to removing completely the restrictions on construction" in the West Bank.
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Smotrich added that 9,409 new housing units are expected to be built soon.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, another hardline settler in the ultra-nationalist government, said in a video statement that "(legalizing) nine outposts is nice but it's not enough. We want much more."
On Sunday, following a string of Palestinian attacks, Netanyahu's cabinet decided to legalize nine outposts that were built without Israeli permits and to approve soon about 10,000 new housing units in existing settlements.
Outposts are settlements built without official permits and are deemed illegal under Israeli law.
There are dozens of unauthorized outposts and some 140 Israeli-authorized settlements scattered around the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and where the Palestinians wish to establish their future state.
Most of the international community regards all Israeli settlements as illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace.
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Netanyahu's office also announced on Tuesday a plan to beef up security in Jerusalem following a string of deadly attacks at bus stops.
In a joint statement, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said the work to reinforce security measures at bus stops in the city will begin "immediately."
In the first stage, some 300 bus stops will be equipped with protective constructions. Another 700 bus stops will be reinforced in the next stage.
Netanyahu's office said it would allocate a designated budget to the Jerusalem Municipality to this end.
In addition, "intelligence and operational efforts" will be boosted, according to the statement.
Netanyahu said the plan aimed at increasing "the sense of personal security" of Jerusalem's residents in the wake of attacks carried out by Palestinians.
On Monday, an Israeli Border Police officer was killed by friendly fire after he was stabbed by a 13-year-old Palestinian on a bus in East Jerusalem. On Friday, two Israeli brothers, respectively aged 6 and 8, and a 20-year-old man were killed in a car-ramming attack in an East Jerusalem settlement neighborhood while they were waiting at a bus stop.
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Tensions in the region are on the rise, sparked by daily Israeli military raids in the West Bank, a territory Israel seized in 1967 and where the Palestinians wish to establish their future state.
At least 45 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2023 in raids. Israel says the raids are needed to arrest suspects of attacks against Israelis.