Israel Reverses Policy on West Bank Settlements, Empowers Jewish Settlers.

Israeli lawmakers have repealed a 2005 act that saw four Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank dismantled at the same time as Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip. The move could pave the way for an official return to the abandoned West Bank areas in another setback to Palestinian hopes for statehood. The international community, including Israel’s closest ally, the United States, considers settlements illegal and opposes construction on occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state.