Why Israel’s new law makes peace harder

ON FEBRUARY 6th Israel aimed a nasty blow at what remains of its peace process with the nearly 5m Palestinians who live in the territories it seized 50 years ago. Its coalition government, led by Binyamin Netanyahu, voted a bill through the Knesset which allows, in certain circumstances, for the legalisation of Jewish construction on privately owned Palestinian land. One effect could be that around 50 “outposts”, scattered around the West Bank and illegal under Israeli law, will now be safe from the threat of demolition.

Condemnation quickly flowed in from around the world—not just from among the 138 countries that recognise Palestine as a state, but from many that do not, including Britain, France and Germany, Israel’s most reliable friends outside America (which stayed silent). Germany’s government said that the move “disappointed many in Germany who have deep ties to Israel and who have stood by it”.

The new law may yet be struck down as unconstitutional by Israel’s fiercely independent courts. Even if it is not, the number of housing units likely to be affected is relatively small (around 4,000). Proper compensation must be paid...