On Monday the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, passed a controversial law retroactively legalizing settlements of Zionist colonists on private Palestinian land. However, according to the international law all settlements on occupied Palestinian land are considered illegal. 

52 out of 120 members of the parliament voted against the law and 8 others, including the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, were absent. 

The law will legalize 3.800 settler homes built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. This measure has drawn international concern. 

Israel’s Attorney-General, Avichai Mandelblit, has called the new bill unconstitutional and said he will not defend it at the Supreme Court, where it will likely be reviewed. Although Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition backed it, the law has raised tensions in the Israeli government. 

He also described it as a breach of international law since it allows expropriation of private land in areas Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

The law has been internationally condemned and is seen as an obstacle to peace. Leader of the British Labour party Jeremy Corbyn stated that “May should make clear to Israeli PM that Britain will stand behind the rights of Palestinian people.”

He also added that “when Theresa May meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she has let it be known she will tell him that building settlements on occupied Palestinian land undermines trust.”

Ahead of the vote, the UN envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, warned: “If adopted into law, it will have far-reaching legal consequences for Israel and greatly diminish the prospects for Arab-Israeli peace.”

However, Netanyahu may face little criticism from the White House, because U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed support for Israel during his campaign trail and ahead of his inauguration. The Trump administration has signaled a softer approach to the settlement issue than its predecessor. 

The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has reacted angrily on the approval of the law, saying it’s “legalizing theft” and also called it an obstacle for peace and the two-state solution.

Palestinian President Abbas has stated that he finds the bill unacceptable. He speaks of an escalation, which will lead to more instability. 

Israel claims that the law is constitutional and cites biblical, historical and political connections to the land.