Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he will discuss a recent report stating that settlements in the West Bank are not illegal.
"This report, in my opinion, discusses the question of the legality and legitimacy of the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria on the basis of the facts and claims that merit serious examination," said a statement sent by the prime minister's office.
"I will submit this report to the Ministerial Committee on Settlement Affairs I established and we will discuss it and make a decision," Netanyahu said.
The committee on Monday published a report stating that settlements in the West Bank are not illegal under international law and recommended sanctioning all settlements and outposts.
The document, headed by Supreme Court Justice (Ret.) Edmond Levy, recommended easing regulations on the settlements and regulating planning and zoning in the area in accordance with population growth.
"Israel does not meet the criteria of 'military occupation' as defined under international law," the report read.
The Levy committee's conclusions clash with the recommendations of another 2005 report on the same matter, which recommended illegalizing and demolishing 120 settlements.
The 2005 document was written by attorney Talia Sasson at the behest of former prime minister Ariel Sharon.
"How can this report, which is supposed to reflect the current situation, fail to represent the situation that has been upheld by the Supreme Court for the past 45 years?" Sasson told Ynet News site.
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