Although the Israeli government was sworn in just a few days ago, settlers are already calling to expedite the regularization of several illegal wildcat outposts across the territory.
The Hityashvut Zeira forum called the ministers, especially from the ultranationalist Religious Zionist party and Otzma Yehudit, to legalize the young settlement - a whitewashed term for dozens of illegal outposts established without the approval of the state across the West Bank.
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Itamar Ben-Gvir, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Yoav Dudkevtich)
Legalizing these thousands of settlers living in these so-called outposts spread all over the West Bank remains a complex move even under Israel's newly minted pro-settler government.
Appealing to more sympathetic lawmakers, settlers hanged posters featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, National Missions Minister Orit Strock, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Development of the Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and called on them to help regulate the effort.
"Is this the last winter we'll freeze? Now it's up to you," said one poster with pictures of the five Knesset members. The Hityashvut Zeira forum demanded to immediately promote the move and not wait for the government's decision.
According to the coalition agreement with the pro-settler Otzma Yehudit party, the decision is expected to come to vote within 60 days of the establishment of the government.
"We welcome the establishment of a stable nationalist, right-wing government for the first time in years, and inserting the regulation of young settlements in the coalition agreements," the forum said.
"Now is the time, as the government is stable and functioning, the humanitarian need of over 25,000 residents across the settlements in the winter cries out, you must approve the regulation and enable the new settlements to be connected to electricity, water, and other infrastructures."