Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s plan to recognise five illegal settler outposts in the occupied West Bank has drawn condemnation from several governments as well as the EU, the Arab League and UN officials, Al Jazeera reports.
In addition to recognising the outposts, Smotrich’s plan removes civilian powers related to construction and zoning in one-fifth of the occupied West Bank, in what is known as “Area B”.
Under the Oslo Accords — which divided the occupied West Bank into areas A, B and C in 1995 — Area B falls under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, the report says.
According to the secretary-general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Smotrich’s plan “dismantles any semblance of Palestinian Authority, including in Area B”, and represents a “complete and final reversal of the Oslo Accords”.
