Israeli outpost

Common card · No. 429421

In Israeli law, an outpost (Hebrew: מאחז, romanized: Ma'ahaz, lit. 'a handhold') is an unauthorized or illegal Israeli settlement within the West Bank, constructed without the required authorization from the Israeli government in contravention of Israeli statutes regulating planning and construction. In Israeli law, outposts are distinguished from settlements authorized by the Israeli government. This distinction between illegal outposts and "legal" settlements is not endorsed by international law, which considers both a violation of the norms, governing belligerent occupations, applicable to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Outposts appeared after the 1993 Oslo I Accord, when the Israeli government made commitments to freeze the building of new settlements. Although outposts were not officially supported by the government, Israeli public authorities and other government bodies played a major role in establishing and developing them, according to the 2005 Sasson Report, commissioned by then...

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