Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to hand the so-called civil administration in the occupied West Bank to the far-right Religious Zionism party, a move that signals more extremism towards Palestinians and a breach of the Abraham accords concluded with some Persian Gulf states.
The Likud leader has decided to move the administration from the regime’s ministry of military affairs to the ministry of finance. His decision comes in order to appease his ally Bezalel Smotrich, who is a far-right member of the Knesset and leader of the Religious Zionism party, Haaretz reported.
The Times of Israel also reported that, Smotrich, the intended finance minister, is eager to take control of the agency and advance his agenda of expanding illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and thwarting Palestinian aspirations for an independent state in the territory.
The agreement was reportedly reached as part of the ongoing coalition talks between Netanyahu’s Likud and Religious Zionism, which stalled once more after the parties failed to reach an agreement on several other key issues.