BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Dozens of Israeli activists gathered in Tel Aviv this week to protest an Israeli government committee report that recommends approving Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank.

On Monday, a government-appointed panel of judges, led by retired Supreme Court judge Edmond Levy, said Israel’s control of the West Bank does not constitute occupation, and thus settlement building is permissible.

Israel distinguishes between authorized settlements and outposts never officially recognized under Israeli law. The panel recommended granting official status to dozens of unauthorized settler outposts.

Their conclusion is in contravention of a World Court ruling and the policy of the international community, which insist that all Israeli settlements and outposts are illegal.

Israeli activists gathered outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, wearing blindfolds and holding banners reading “Enough with the blindness; Enough with the freeze in negotiations.”

“Adopting the Levy report is akin to shutting one’s eyes,” Tal Harris, the executive director of the group organizing the protest, OneVoice Israel, said.

“We stand blindfolded in front of Defense Minister Barak’s office to scorn the government’s cowardly conduct. Excuses framed in legal terms do not excuse inaction toward ending the conflict.”

(maannews.net / 14.07.2012)