West Bank settlements are legal, Foreign Ministry asserts – Official document distributed to Israeli diplomats says Jewish communities beyond Green Line are ‘not colonization’ | The Times of Israel

he construction and establishment of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is legal under both Israeli and international law, as well as justified on historical and ethical grounds, according to a new document drafted by the Foreign Ministry.

The document, presented in a Channel 2 report Thursday, was issued under the directive of Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely and distributed to Israeli diplomats across the globe. It states that Israel has “valid property claims” to West Bank territory, as “Jewish affinity” with the region and in cities such as Hebron is thousands of years old.