Israeli Parliament's Resolution on Seizing Palestinian Private Lands

On Wednesday, November 17, the Israeli Parliament transformed a government bill for the confiscation of Palestinian private lands into law. Israeli media reported that this bill was passed by the right-wing 'Jewish Home' party led by Naftali Bennett in a ministerial committee on Sunday, November 14, and was put to a vote in the Israeli Parliament three days later. 58 Knesset members, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, voted in favor of legalizing the confiscation of Palestinian private properties; 50 representatives opposed it, and 12 were absent. Isaac Herzog, the leader of the Israeli opposition, described the legalization of the confiscation of Palestinian private properties as a 'black day' and an irreparable blow to the peace process, characterizing it as a sign of 'the increasing extremism of settlers and their supporting politicians.' The opposition leader stated that this law contradicts the clear ruling of the Supreme Court regarding the necessity of evacuating settlers from Palestinian private properties. According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu stated on Tuesday, November 25, in a message to the American Jewish Federation that 'imposed peace' by 'foreign agents' in the Middle East is ineffective. Netanyahu asserted that peace can only be achieved through direct and unconditional dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians. The Israeli Prime Minister rejected France's proposal to participate in the second meeting under the French political initiative. Last week, France sent a senior diplomat to Israel to encourage Netanyahu to cooperate with the French political initiative, but this mission by Mr. Pierre Vimont was unsuccessful. The Palestinian Authority accepted the French initiative and described Israel's refusal to attend the December meeting in Paris as 'another sign' of 'Israel's evasion of peace.' However, according to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu mentioned in his message to the American Jewish Federation that he looks forward to starting cooperation with Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, to 'advance peace and stability in the region.'