The Israeli Security Ministerial Council approved a decision to expand settlement in the occupied West Bank, legalize 5 settlements classified as illegal, and apply Israeli law in areas administratively controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent said that the Israeli Security Ministerial Council approved measures put forward by the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich targeting the Palestinian Authority, including canceling permits and privileges for officials in the Palestinian Authority and restricting their movement.
The Council withdrew executive powers from the Palestinian Authority in the areas of eastern Bethlehem and southeast of occupied Jerusalem.
For his part, Smotrich said that the government is taking punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority in response to Palestinian movements against Israel on the international scene.
In a statement, the minister – who heads the Religious Zionism Party that supports the settlers – said that the government supports the proposals he put forward in this regard.
There was no statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which usually announces government decisions.
Drop the power
Last April, Smotrich called for severing relations with the Palestinian Authority, stressing that he was “convinced that the Palestinian Authority poses a direct danger to the State of Israel, and we must work to overthrow it.”
On June 13, Smotrich ordered $35 million in Palestinian Authority tax revenues (clearance) to be deducted and transferred to Israeli families who claim that members of their families were killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians.
Days ago, Smotrich was quick to deny that his plan to take over the occupied West Bank was a secret. In response to a New York Times report on the matter, he said that the report “did not reveal any secrets, and everything I am doing is clear.”
He continued, stressing, “I will fight with all my might the danger of establishing a Palestinian state; for the sake of the State of Israel and its citizens, I will continue, through my powers, to develop settlements in the West Bank and strengthen security.”
Smotrich’s denial comes after an audio recording obtained by The New York Times revealed his plan to consolidate Israeli control over the occupied West Bank and thwart any attempt to make it part of a Palestinian state.