Israel approves new settlement 2 days before polls

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government approved a new settlement in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, his office said, just two days ahead of closely fought general elections.

Netanyahu’s cabinet agreed to turn the wildcat settlement of Mevoot Yericho in the Jordan Valley into an official settlement, the premier’s office said.

All settlements are viewed as illegal under international law, but Israel distinguishes between those it has approved and those it has not.

Netanyahu convened his final pre-election cabinet meeting in a part of the West Bank he’s vowed to annex if re-elected. The meeting was held at the Jordan Valley regional council rather than in Jerusalem. Netanyahu’s promise to extend Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and to annex Jewish settlements has sparked a cascade of international condemnations.

Critics say it could inflame the Middle East and eliminate any remaining Palestinian hope of establishing a state.

In Israel, it was widely viewed as Netanyahu’s latest campaign stunt to draw right-wing voters. He’s also alleged fraud in Arab voting areas, claimed to have located a previously unknown Iranian nuclear weapons facility and said another war in Gaza is probably inevitable.

A visibly frantic Netanyahu is in the fight of his political life. He is locked in a razor tight race and faces the likelihood of criminal corruption charges. A decisive victory may be the only thing to keep him out of the courtroom. A repeat of the deadlock in April’s election, or a victory by challenger Benny Gantz, could end his political career. AGENCIES