Israeli Parliament Allegedly Backs Bill to Retroactively Authorize Land Grabs

A controversial bill legalizing dozens of Israeli outposts built on private Palestinian land cleared the first reading in the Israeli parliament on Monday amid warnings it amounted to a land grab, local media said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Regulation Bill seeks to retroactively authorize 55 settlements and 4,000 housing units in privately-owned territories in the West Bank, the Times of Israel newspaper reported.

The legislation was passed at a late Monday session by 60 votes to 49. It will be put to a second vote on Tuesday, with a total of three readings needed for it to become a law.

The draft stipulates that the outposts were built without the knowledge that the land had an owner and thus in good faith. If adopted, it will allow the government to reclaim land if owners are not known, leaving them with the option of receiving damages or plots elsewhere, the Israeli outlet said.

The right-wing Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett lauded the parliamentary approval as a step away from establishing a Palestinian state and toward "a path of extending sovereignty to Judea and Samaria," as quoted by the newspaper.

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog said it was a dark day for the parliament and warned the government it was committing a national suicide. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned the parliament previously the law could put Israel on trial at the International Criminal Court.