TIT FOR TAT: Israel Begins Legalizing West Bank Outpost After Settler Killed There

The approval comes less than a month after Rabbi Raziel Shevach, the 35-year-old father of six children, was killed in a drive-by shooting at the outpost junction.

The proposal says the government plans to establish a legal settlement on privately owned Israeli land or state lands, the Times of Israel reported. It calls on the country’s defense minister to order the appropriate government bodies to study the legalities of making the outpost, also known as Havat Gilad, a legal settlement.

Prior to the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision to change the status of the outpost would “facilitate orderly life there.” He said creating a new settlement would “for the murderers – exacting justice. To those who sanctify death, we will sanctify life. This is the essence of the government’s policy.”

Actions like this and taking Jerusalem off the negotiating table might — might — convince the Palestinian leadership that it’s time for honest peace negotiations.