France says Israeli bill on settlements a risk to two-state solution

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS | Tue Nov 15, 2016 | 7:18am EST

France says Israeli bill on settlements a risk to two-state solution

France said on Tuesday an Israeli bill supported by a ministerial committee allowing settlers in the occupied West Bank to remain in homes built on private Palestinian land was of a matter of deep concern and jeopardized a two-state solution.

"This proposed law, if it were adopted, would once again jeopardize a two-state solution and would contribute in worsening tensions on the ground. France is deeply concerned by it," Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said in a daily briefing.

The ministerial committee defied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and voted on Sunday to back the bill, which will be debated by parliament on Wednesday and is still some distance from becoming law.

Israel's attorney-general, Avihai Mandelblit, has called the bill legally flawed in its current form, saying that it contravened private property rights legislation and did not tally with Israel's international law commitments.

"Settlements, under all its forms, are illegal with respect to international law. We call on Israel to respect its international obligations," Nadal said.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Andrew Callus)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-settlements-franc-idUSKBN13A1DT

[Eugene]

1. U.S. slams proposed Israeli bill on settlements as 'troubling step'

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS | Mon Nov 14, 2016 | 6:27pm EST

U.S. slams proposed Israeli bill on settlements as 'troubling step'

The United States on Monday described as "troubling" an Israeli bill supported by a ministerial committee allowing settlers in the occupied West Bank to remain in homes built on private Palestinian land and said it hoped the law does not pass.

"We are deeply concerned about the advancement of legislation that would allow for the legalization of illegal Israeli outposts located on private Palestinian land," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told a briefing.

If the law were enacted it could pave the way for the legalization of dozens of illegal outposts deep in the West Bank, she said, adding:

"This would represent an unprecedented and troubling step that's inconsistent with prior Israeli legal opinion and also break longstanding policy of not building on private Palestinian land," Trudeau said.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinian-settlement-usa-idUSKBN1392H2

[geek tragedy]

2. Also at risk: General Franco's health.

Two-state solution is worm food at this point. The question is when Israel comes clean and formally proceeds with the one-state solution.