Said Abu Ali, Undersecretary General for Palestinian Affairs and the Occupied Arab Territories of the Arab League, denounced in a statement the decision of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) to approve the initiative at first reading.

The bill is part of a colonial strategy, which includes the seizure of more land, the legalization of settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes and the displacement of the Arab population, Abu Ali criticized.

The official warned Tel Aviv against these aggressive policies and urged the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to assume their responsibilities in maintaining regional peace and security.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also denounced the vote in the Knesset yesterday, noting that it is a new step on the road to the legalization of many outposts located in the occupied territories.

Although the UN and the world consider all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal, Tel Aviv authorities distinguish between those that are authorized and those that are not. Most of the outposts, seeds of future settlements, are erected by far-right sectors and groups without the consent of the Government, which has caused clashes in the past.

The Disengagement Law was endorsed at the time by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and involved the dismantlement of four settlements in the northern West Bank region and the evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip.

However, now the far-right coalition in power, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, wants to bury the regulation. The plan has the support of the government bench and right-wing opposition parties, that is why its approval is taken for granted.

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