Palestinian Official Rejects Israeli Move on West Bank Settlements

On Friday, a top Palestinian official Rejects Israel’s finance minister’s attempt to encourage new Jewish West Bank settlements, claiming it was part of a “war of genocide” against Palestinians.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Thursday that the Israeli government would take severe measures on the Palestinian Authority in reply to Palestinian international actions against Israel.

When asked about Smotrich’s comments, which the government could not confirm, Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee, stated the settlements were “illegal settlements that violate all international agreements”.

“Our Palestinian people are the target of the Israeli government’s decisions to continue the war of extermination,” he said.

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He added that the PLO and the Palestinian Authority will continue to advocate for Israel to be brought before international tribunals and punished for “crimes against Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza Strip.”

Israel has denied allegations made by South Africa before the United Nations’ top court that its military action in Gaza formed a state-sponsored genocide campaign against Palestinians.

Gaza Invasion and Rising Tensions

Israel started its Gaza invasion in reprisal for the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.

The Gaza health ministry reports that Israel’s attack has killed over 37,000 Palestinians.

Smotrich, who leads a pro-settler party, stated that the government approved his idea. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which typically announces cabinet-level decisions, released no statement and could not be contacted for quick comment.

Smotrich said that he was taking steps to cancel “various approvals and benefits” for senior Palestinian Authority officials, approve new settlements, and in retrospect penalize several Jewish settlements.

Under interim peace agreements signed in the 1990s, the Palestinian Authority has limited self-rule in the West Bank, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Middle East conflict.

Palestinians and the majority of the international community consider Jewish West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem illegal. Israel denies this, pointing out the Jewish people’s historical, biblical, and political connections to the region, as well as security concerns.