West Bank Settlers Pressure Netanyahu Ahead Of March Vote
By Michael BLUM
01/28/21 AT 4:58 AM
Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are demanding concessions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of a March general election which could hinge on a battle for right-wing votes.
While most countries consider all Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal, Israel broadly divides them into two categories: government-recognised settlements and so-called wildcat outposts.
In the former, Israel aims to provide similar services -- water, electricity and the like -- as it does to citizens within its internationally agreed borders.
Wildcat settlements, often ramshackle collections of portacabins set up by hardline religious nationalists deep inside the West Bank, generally have no connection to the Israeli grid.