Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated Tuesday that he would fire any minister who votes for the so-called “regulation bill”, meant to legalize illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank, during a Knesset vote that will be held on Wednesday.Israeli Ynet News reported that Netanyahu stated that any minister or deputy minister who back the bill will be fired as the proposed bill, if passed, would lead to the legalization of Ulpana illegal outposts in the Beit El settlement, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, and the rest of the illegal Israeli settlement outposts installed by extremist settlers on privately owned Palestinian lands.
Ynet News added that after Netanyahu made his announcement, ministers of the Shas religious movement said that they not attend the voting session, adding that ministers of the Yisrael Beitenu (Israel Our Home) fundamentalist party of Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, will likely skip the vote.
The website also said that Shas movement’s members of Knesset said that they will vote for the bill.
The “Regulation Bill” was proposed by member of Knesset, Zevulun Orlev, from the Jewish Home (Habayit Hayehudi) party, with the sole purpose of avoiding the implementation of a ruling made by Israel’s High Court that ruled in favor in evicting five homes illegally built in Ulpana outpost.
But the Israeli Prime Minister provided another plan that calls for relocating the homes to a military zone in Beit El settlement.
Netanyahu said that his government has to deal with what he called with “infiltrators” (referring to alleged Palestinian attempts to attack the settlements) and several major domestic challenges, adding that “such issues can only be dealt with by a unified government”, Ynet said.
On the ground, several hundred settlers held a protest, on Tuesday evening, in front of the High Court in Jerusalem; the protest was held in front of a protest tent installed by a number of settlers who are holding a hunger strike.
The protesters were joined by Member of Knesset, Danny Danon, of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, and the Rabbi of Keryat Arba’ illegal settlement in Hebron, Dov Lior, in addition to heads of local councils of several illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The Ynet quoted Lior stating that “the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people”, and called on the ministers to vote for what he called “true democracy” during the cabinet vote on Wednesday.
Addressing Likud MK’s, Danon said that they should remember “what they promised the voters during elections”, adding that the removal of the Ulpana outpost “is a surrender that will be followed by thousands of concessions in the West Bank”, Ynet said.
Ynet further reported that some settlers living in the Ulpana outposts have started preparations for resist the evacuation, adding that, several days ago, the settlers brought a truck loaded with tires, likely to be placed and burnt in the streets to obstruct the army.
Furthermore, The Ynet said that local Rabbis in the settlement are likely the ones who determine the level of resistance to the evacuation, and added that this does not mean that extremists will not resort to violence.
Israel’s settlements in occupied Palestine, even those built on what Israel dubs as “state lands”, are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank had to suspend peace talks with the government of Netanyahu due to the ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinians in the West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
These violations include the demolition of homes and the destruction of private property, ongoing settlement construction and expansion, the escalating violence carried out by extremist settlers, and the ongoing Israeli military invasions into Palestinians communities in the occupied territories.
