Israel Repeals Disengagement Law, Allowing Return to West Bank Settlements.

The Knesset has repealed the Disengagement Law that banned Israelis from four northern West Bank settlements, paving the way for settlers to return. The law applies to those areas only, and the head of the IDF Central Command will still need to sign a military order allowing Israelis to return to those areas. The repeal will bolster the coalition’s efforts to legalize a wildcat outpost currently occupying the site of Homesh and a yeshiva that has been built there. Critics warn that the law could lead to de facto annexation of large parts of the West Bank, undermining Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state.