WorldJERUSALEM, AFP -The Israeli parliament gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill to legalise thousands of West Bank settler homes, a measure drawing international anger and posing the government's biggest test since 2015 polls. The bill, which would apply to an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 Jewish homes in the occupied West Bank, requires three more full parliamentary votes to become law. But those who support it say the move is urgently needed to protect a Jewish outpost in the occupied West Bank called Amona. The outpost, where some 40 families live, is under a high court order to be demolished by December 25 because it was built on private Palestinian land. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, who heads the Labour party, said the bill contravened Israeli and international law while justifying “theft”.

Source: Sunday Times November 16, 2016 15:15 UTC