Israeli ministers approve applying Israel law to West Bank settlers

A ministerial committee approved a proposed bill on Sunday that would ensure the wholesale application of Israeli law to Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, a move sponsored by legislators who want Israel to annex part of the territory.

 

But Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Israel’s chief negotiator in peace talks with the Palestinians that collapsed in April, said she would appeal the decision, effectively putting parliamentary ratification on indefinite hold.

 

Most countries consider the settlements Israel has built in the West Bank, which Palestinians seek for a state along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, as illegal.

 

Israel, which captured the West Bank in a 1967 war, disputes that view. It considers the territory to be under its military control, and largely adjudicates legal matters relating to the area’s 2.4 million Palestinians in military courts.

 

Read More: Israeli ministers approve applying Israel law to West Bank settlers | Reuters