Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Wednesday that he had established a task force to develop plans for the Israeli-controlled Area C of the occupied West Bank.
Bennett told a conference in Jerusalem:
“We are launching a campaign for the future of Area C; it started a month ago and I’m announcing it here today”.
#Friedman: America’s Next Step is to Let #Israel Annex #WestBank https://t.co/SsTOuhYcci via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/Ndds2vBQZi
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 9, 2020
“Our objective,” Bennett continued, “is that we will apply Israeli sovereignty to all of Area C, not just the settlements”.
“Israel is fighting a real war on Area C,” Bennett added.
Only Vehicle Confiscated: Isolated #Hebron Village Denied Medical Services by #Israel #IsraeliOccupation #Palestine https://t.co/EuouVKREWf via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/ktRYyGLo79
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 9, 2020
The far-right minister, who is the co-founder of Israel’s New Right Party, has long been a supporter of illegal settlement expansion and the effective annexation of Area C.
According to the Office for the UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine, “over 60 percent of the West Bank is considered Area C, where Israel retains near exclusive control, including over law enforcement, planning, and construction.”
(The Palestine Chronicle, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Social Media)
