������

Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly handed considerable power to far-right politician��Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party to approve the construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

As part of a deal to form a governing coalition, Netanyahu will only be involved in the initial stage of the planning process when the government decides the size and location of the illegal settlements,���ٳ�� Times of Israel reported Friday, citing Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

At the moment, the Prime Minister’s signature is required for every stage of the process.��

Meet the most right wing govt in Israel’s history:
💩Itamar Ben-Gvir, terrorism convict, security minister.
💩Avi Maoz, anti-LGBTQ, in control of parts of the country's national education system
💩Bezalel Smotrich, “proud homophobe”, West Bank settlements minister

— Tameem | تميم (@TameeOliveFern)

Under the deal, Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to hand over the authority of two key bodies that administer Israel’s control over the West Bank - the Coordinator of Activities in the Territories and the Civil Administration.��

Smotrich, who is 42, was born in a Jewish settlement in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and grew up in Bet El near Ramallah.��

In 2006, he founded the pro-settler Regavim organisation, a notorious body among Palestinians that tracks construction in Area C of the occupied West Bank.��

Smotrich has long advocated for expanding settlements and annexing large parts of the occupied West Bank, officially turning large parts of Palestinian land into Israeli territory.��

He is likely to hold a senior cabinet position in the new government, which will reportedly be announced next week or early in the new year.��

Israel legally annexed and occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem following the Six-Day War in 1967. It has since approved and built dozens of settlements for hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers on stolen Palestinian land, a move illegal under international law.