This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett has sparked criticism from Israel’s far-right after saying that Areas A and B of the West Bank should remain under Palestinian autonomy while Area C should ultimately become part of Israel.
Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was divided into three administrative zones. This division left Area A under full Palestinian control, Area B under shared security and full Palestinian civil control, and Area C under full Israeli civil and military control.
According to a report by Israel National News/Channel 7, Bennett said he supports legal Jewish settlement construction in Area C but opposes building carried out illegally. He added that projects established unlawfully should be removed.
“Legal construction in Area C on state land that is not private Palestinian land is welcome,” Bennett said. “Construction that is illegal, or not in Area C, or on private land, is not legitimate.”
Asked whether he would dismantle outposts built without authorisation, Bennett replied: “What is not legal will not remain.”
He added that, in his view, “Area C will ultimately be part of the State of Israel, while Areas A and B will be part of Palestinian autonomy,” according to Channel 7.
The comments prompted fierce criticism from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who accused Bennett of supporting the establishment of a “terror state in the heart of the country.”
Smotrich, who has advanced settlement development during his time in the Netanyahu coalition, wrote on X that Bennett “says it in his own voice: he will evacuate the farms,” and warned that a future government involving former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot would “establish a Palestinian terror state and destroy the new communities and agricultural farms.”
The total number of settlements approved over the past three years is 69, according to recent comments by Smotrich.
Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, also condemned the remarks, saying that granting strategic territory to the Palestinian Authority after the October 7 attacks would amount to “political suicide” and endanger millions of Israelis.
This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.
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