Netanyahu Coalition To 'Promote And Develop' Homes In West Bank: PA - A 'Dangerous Escalation And Will Have Repercussions'

Netanyahu coalition vows to 'promote and develop' Jewish homes in West Bank

Madeleine Hubbard

Israel's coalition government under Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu is taking what some consider to be a hard-right stance by agreeing to promote Jewish homes in the West Bank, supporting the death penalty for terrorists and tightening the nation's immigration rules. 

Netanyahu's Likud coalition agreements with the Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) both focus on promoting Israel's sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, as well as the Galilee, the Negev and the Golan Heights, the latter three of which are considered legally part of Israel.

Roughly 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank alongside about 2.5 million Palestinians, but the international community has largely condemned the Israelis for doing so.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office condemned the new government's coalition statement. The president's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh said it was a "dangerous escalation and will have repercussions for the region," Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. He called for the Biden administration to "to turn its words into deeds since it is committed to the two-state solution, without which there will be no stability in the region."

Other more conservative measures are included in the coalition agreements.

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