(Times of Israel)T he construction and establishment of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is legal under both Israeli and international law, as well as justified on historical and ethical grounds, according to a new document by Israel's Foreign Ministry. It states that Israel has "valid property claims" to West Bank territory, as "Jewish affinity" with the region and in cities such as Hebron is thousands of years old. "These are not new communities, and not 'colonization.'" "Never at any point of time in history were Jerusalem or the West Bank under Palestinian Arab sovereignty." Moreover, Jewish communities beyond the Green Line "were established in a judicial proceeding under the supervision of [Israel's] Supreme Court." However, Israel "recognizes that the Palestinians also have claims in the area," and that for that reason, "the two parties expressed an explicit agreement to settle all outstanding disputes, including the future of the settlements, within the framework of direct bilateral negotiations."
2015-12-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive