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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Israel close to legalising nearly 4,000 settler homes
Israeli government minister says legislation moves 'from the path leading to the creation of a Palestinian state'
A general view of caravans in the settlement outpost of Amona, which was established in 1997 on Palestinian land (AFP)
Monday 5 December 2016
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has closed in on a
controversial bill with a key rival on Monday that could legalise nearly
4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank.
The
bill, which is named the Regulation Law, has drawn harsh criticism
internationally. Its main backer, Education Minister Naftali Bennett,
called it the start of Israel's eventual annexation of most of the West
Bank. Netanyahu had originally opposed the controversial legislation.
It
would still need preliminary approval and three full votes at Israel's
Knesset, but an agreement between Netanyahu and Bennett would likely
assure passage.
The
bill has severely tested Netanyahu's coalition, seen as the most
right-wing in Israeli history. A previous version was given preliminary
approval last month.
"With
this law, the state of Israel has moved from the path leading to the
creation of a Palestinian state to the path leading to (Israeli)
sovereignty" over most of the West Bank, Bennett told army radio.
In October, Bennett called on supporters to give up their lives to ensure the entire West Bank is a part of the state of Israel.
Netanyahu
told a meeting of members of his Likud party that "we have worked very
hard to find a solution", while Israeli media reported that a compromise
was at hand.
The
international community considers all settlements in Israeli-annexed
east Jerusalem and the West Bank to be illegal, whether they are
authorised by the government or not.
The
West Bank, occupied by Israel in 1967, is supposed to be, along with
the Gaza Strip, home to the Palestinian state. World powers, including
the United States, see the two-state solution as the solution to end the
68-year-old conflict.
The agreement would see a wildcat Jewish outpost in the West Bank, known as Amona, removed from the bill.
Amona,
where around 40 families live, is under a court order to be evacuated
by 25 December since it was built on Palestinian land.
Some
members of Netanyahu's coalition had previously said they could not
support the bill if Amona remained part of it because of the court
ruling against it.
The
agreement will instead see Amona residents temporarily moved to nearby
land that Israeli officials describe as abandoned until a permanent
solution is found.
Rights groups, however, say that land is also owned by Palestinians and that the move would violate international law.
The bill's progress so far has alarmed many in the international community.
The
UN envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, said the
legislation "has the objective of protecting illegal settlements built
on private Palestinian property in the West Bank.
"It
is a very worrying initiative. I encourage Israeli legislators to
reconsider such a move that would have far-reaching legal consequences
across the occupied West Bank."
According to settlement watchdog Peace Now, the bill, if Amona is removed, would legalise some 3,881 housing units.
Most
of the homes are located in Israeli-approved settlements but were built
on Palestinian land. Around 750 are located in outposts which Israel
has not yet approved, Peace Now says.