Iran warns of Israel’s bid to erase the Islamic identity of Al-Quds, after Israeli lawmakers gave the initial approval to a bill that grants legal status to illegal settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
The first reading of the bill was passed in the Israeli Parliament on Wednesday with 58 votes in favor and 50 against. The measure, which would apply to an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 illegal Israeli settler units in the occupied West Bank, requires three more full parliamentary votes to become law. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Wednesday the international community and Muslim countries need to act against such measures, which he referred to as “provocative” and “against human rights” and which he said could endanger the Islamic identity of East Al-Quds, Press TV reported. According to the legislation, Palestinian landowners would be offered compensation in exchange for the expropriation of their lands. The Israeli lawmakers are also expected to approve another controversial bill aimed at limiting calls to prayer from Palestinian mosques.
