On 6 February 2017, the Israeli Knesset passed the Validation Bill which retroactively sanctions the status of nearly 4,000 illegal structures built on private Palestinian land. While all settlements contravene international humanitarian law’s prohibition on the transfer of civilians into occupied territory, these cases are distinct because the structures are not built on what Israel has declared “State Lands.” Instead, they are built on private Palestinian lands where the proof of ownership is not in controversy. The Validation Law is an unprecedented new step in Israel’s incremental and steady encroachment of Palestinian lands. Jadaliyya Co-Editor, Noura Erakat, joins the BBC World Service to discuss the Validation Law and its implications beginning at 1:30.
[This piece first aired on BBC]