The U.S. State Department has summoned the Israeli Ambassador to Washington Michael Herzog after his nation repealed a 2005 regulation barring settlements within the occupied northern West Bank.
Herzog met with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman on Tuesday, in response to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.
“The United States is extremely troubled that the Israeli Knesset has passed legislation rescinding important parts of the 2005 disengagement law,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel informed reporters.
“The legislative changes announced today are particularly provocative and counterproductive to efforts to restore some measure of calm as we head into the Ramadan, Passover and Easter holidays,” he stated.
Patel stated the transfer was in “clear contradiction” of guarantees made by then-prime minister Ariel Sharon to then-US president George W. Bush in addition to assurances made simply two days in the past by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities.
“The US strongly urges Israel to refrain from allowing the return of settlers to the area covered by the legislation, consistent with former prime minister Sharon and the current Israeli government’s commitment to the United States,” he stated.
Patel, nevertheless, stopped wanting saying any repercussions towards Israel for its actions.
On Tuesday, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) handed the second and third readings of a invoice to permit Israeli settlers to resettle in 4 settlements within the occupied West Bank.
The vote pushed by the hard-right authorities annulled a part of a regulation that ordered the evacuation of the unlawful outposts of Homesh, Ganim, Kadim, and Sa-Nur within the occupied territory in 2005.
The evacuation of the outposts was a part of a disengagement plan carried out by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that noticed Israel take away greater than 9,000 settlers in 21 unlawful settlements within the Gaza Strip and the occupied northern West Bank.
Estimates point out about 650,000 settlers reside in 164 settlements and 116 outposts within the occupied West Bank.
Under worldwide regulation, all Jewish settlements within the occupied territories are thought-about unlawful.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
