ISRAEL REPEALS 2005 ACT ON PULLOUT FROM WEST BANK SETTLEMENT

Israeli lawmakers on Tuesday repealed a 2005 act that saw four Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank dismantled at the same time as Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip. The development could pave the way for an official return to the abandoned West Bank areas in another setback to Palestinian hopes for statehood.

It was the latest move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, which is dominated by settler leaders and allies, to promote settlement expansion in the territory, inflaming tensions with the Palestinians and the international community.

The move drew a sharp rebuke from Israel’s closest ally, the United States. Most of the international community considers settlements illegal and opposes construction on occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state. The State Department said it was “extremely troubled” and urged Israel to refrain from allowing settlers to return to the outposts.

“Coming at a time of heightened tensions, the legislative changes announced today are provocative and counterproductive to efforts to restore some measures of calm,” said State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel.

Angry condemnation also poured in on Tuesday from the U.S. and several other countries over the latest in a string of incendiary comments about the Palestinians by Israel’s ultranationalist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. Earlier this week, Smotrich claimed there is “no such thing” as Palestinians, sparking widespread outrage.

Israel evacuated the four settlements and unilaterally pulled out of Gaza under the 2005 legislation. The prime minister at the time, Ariel Sharon, argued that Israel would not be able to keep the settlements under a future agreement with the Palestinians.

Since then, Israeli citizens have been officially banned from returning to those locations, though the Israeli military has allowed activists to visit and pray there — a ban that has now been revoked.