Israeli General Allows Israelis to Return to West Bank Outpost of Homesh

The chief of the military’s Central Command has signed an order allowing Israelis to enter the area in the northern West Bank where the illegal outpost of Homesh was established, paving the way for a formal settlement to be built there. Homesh is built partly on private Palestinian land, according to a High Court ruling. The move has been criticized by watchdogs and opponents of the bill passed in March, warning that it could lead to a de facto annexation of large parts of the West Bank, undermining Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state.