Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant (Likud), and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) met to finalize the process of transferring much of the Defense Minister’s authority over Israeli civilians in Area C of Judea and Samaria to Smotrich’s office.
The transfer is a key condition of the Religious Zionist Party’s membership in the current government, and was included in the coalition agreement between the RZP and the Likud.
A partial list of the planned reforms were leaked following a recent meeting between Defense Minister Galant and settlement leaders.
Once the transfer of authority over Area C is complete, according to Wednesday’s report, the government will drastically reduce bureaucratic red tape on Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria, but also will take a step towards the direct application of Israeli law in Area C – a move some critics have dubbed “mini-annexation.” READ MORE
