Jerusalem: In response to a string of attacks in east Jerusalem, including one that resulted in the deaths of three Israelis, Israel's security cabinet declared on Sunday that it would legalize nine settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement that included the term Israel uses for the West Bank, Palestinian territory it has occupied since 1967, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said: "In response to the murderous terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, the security cabinet unanimously decided to authorize nine communities in Judea and Samaria."
It stated that "these communities have existed for many years, some for decades."
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These so-called "wild" settlements were developed without the Israeli government's consent. In order to approve the construction of new residential units in established communities in Judea and Samaria, the Civil Administration Higher Planning Committee will meet in the upcoming days, according to the statement.
In the context of the tenacious fight against terrorism, it was stated that the "security cabinet made a number of additional decisions," including bolstering security in Jerusalem. At a government meeting earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu declared his desire to "strengthen" settlements, which are prohibited by international law.
In settlements in the West Bank, 2.8 million Palestinians live alongside more than 475,000 Israelis. Additionally, Netanyahu stated that his administration planned to introduce legislation this week to the Knesset (parliament) to revoke the Israeli citizenship of "terrorists."
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The restrictions apply to both Israeli Arabs and Palestinians who are legally residing in east Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed. There has been an uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence at the time of this announcement.
In an attack on Friday in Ramot, a Jewish settlement neighborhood in east Jerusalem, a Palestinian killed three Israelis, including two children. On Sunday, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teen during a raid in the northern West Bank.
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According to an AFP count based on official Israeli and Palestinian sources, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of at least 46 Palestinians (combatants and civilians), nine Israeli civilians, and one Ukrainian woman since the start of the year.