THE new law passed by the Israeli parliament retroactively legalizing close to 4,000 settler homes built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank violates international laws and is a step toward Israel annexing the West Bank in total. According to the new law, which will allow for the expropriation of land in more than 50 settlements and outposts, the settlers in these illegal outposts would be allowed to remain in their homes. So the law basically confiscates private property for the sake of illegal settlers. What Israel has effectively done is pass a law that legalizes the theft of private Palestinian land. This is a law that is meant to implement the annexation of Palestinian occupied lands to Israel. Because it is the first time since Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1967 that Israel has acted to extend Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, it sets up an inevitable confrontation with the international community. The law is a direct challenge to the world in the wake of December's UN Security Council resolution that called for an end to settlement building. The so-called regulation bill paves the way for Israel to recognize thousands of illegally built Jewish settler homes constructed on privately owned Palestinian land in what has rightly been dubbed a "theft" and "land grab". The law has stripped Palestinian landowners of any chance to reclaim their land. What it means is that Palestinian landowners cannot get their land back, whether they want to or not. The ownership of the land itself will remain in the hands of the Palestinian landowners, although they will not be able to access or use it. In effect, what the law says is that people have stolen land and will now be asked to give to the victim some money in return, as much as they decide to give. The land was stolen and now it's being leased. If it can be believed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially opposed the bill, but not because he had suddenly become soft on stealing Palestinian land. His concern was that the law could land those who support it at the doorsteps of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Still, Netanyahu felt obliged to push it through. That was the demand of the main settler-supporting party, Jewish Home, on which he depends to keep his coalition in power. The law's passage through parliament is a sign that Netanyahu's political position is weakening while those to his right are gaining ground. His position shifted as the bill gained popularity within his coalition. It was Netanyahu who courted the ultra-right; it is only fitting that he must now dance to the tune of their music. So Netanyau is willing to compromise the future of both Israelis and Palestinians in order to satisfy a small group of extreme settlers for the sake of his own political survival. By passing this law, Netanyahu makes theft an official Israeli policy. The new law is the latest in a series of pro-settlement moves by Israel, in which the construction of 6,000 new Jewish settlement homes in the occupied Palestinian territories has been announced in just the past few weeks. It is now up to Israel's Supreme Court to strike down this new law. The court has in the past annulled laws it deemed unconstitutional. The largest settlement outpost Amona is a good example. Two years ago the court ordered the dismantling of Amona because it was built on private Palestinian land, and last month it was evacuated by Israeli police enforcing the order. If it's been done before, it can be done again. The Supreme Court is strongly being urged to step up again.
