Smotrich said pushing for demolishing Palestinian construction in W. Bank areas A, B

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in his capacity as a minister in the Defense Ministry, is reportedly developing a plan to allow Israel to demolish buildings in the West Bank’s areas A and B, a violation of the Oslo Accords.

According to a report by the Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday, the plan, which would constitute a sharp shift in Israeli policy, was announced by Smotrich in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee during a hearing on “The Palestinian Authority’s Takeover of Open Land in Judea and Samaria and the Israeli Response.”

While Israel currently enforces construction regulations only in Area C of the West Bank, where it has full civilian and military control, the discussion centered around the subject of Palestinian construction in areas A and B, where Israel does not hold civilian jurisdiction. READ MORE