The US has described attempts by Israeli politicians to pass a bill allowing Jewish settlers to remain in the occupied West Bank as “troubling”, saying it hopes it does not become law.
“We are deeply concerned about the advancement of legislation that would allow for the legalisation of illegal Israeli outposts located on private Palestinian land,” State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told a briefing on Monday.
The bill focuses on the outpost of Amona, created in 1995 and currently home to approximately 200 people. Outposts, which are not authorised by the Israeli government, are more contentious than approved settlement building - although any Israeli construction over the 1967 Green Line is viewed by the international community as illegal.
In December 2014, the Israeli High Court ordered the state to completely evacuate and demolish Amona within two years.
The new bill - the first of its kind - faces opposition from several quarters, not least Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A ministerial committee defied Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday by voting to back the bill for debate in the Knesset. It is still some distance away from becoming law.
Israel's attorney-general, Avihai Mandelblit, called the bill “legally flawed” in its current form, saying that it contravenes private property rights legislation and does not tally with Israel's international law commitments.
If enacted, it is thought it could pave the way for similar bills legalising dozens more outposts.
As such, the current bill on the fate of Amona represents “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," Ms Trudeau said. “We hope it doesn't become law.”
The US is broadly committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although President-elect Donald Trump has not clearly signified whether his administraton will change tack on the issue.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are one the major stumbling blocks to any lasting peace deal.
Reuters contributed to this report
