Barak claims that legalisation of settlements will destroy Israel

Israel’s Minister of Defence, Ehud Barak, has said that the Levy Report on the legalisation of settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem will not boost settlement construction, but will “destroy” Israel.

According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, Barak said, “The adoption of the Levy Report by the government will cause damage that its supporters don’t expect.” He pointed out that if the government adopts Levy’s recommendations there will be a lot of diplomatic damage to Israel which will deepen its isolation in the world.

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The Levy committee was commissioned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to study the legal status of the settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank. Headed by Judge Edmond Levy, who is himself a settler, it recommended the legalisation of the outposts and settlements. The committee claimed that the settlements are legal, even under international law.