right-wing israeli politicians see donald trump<u+2019>s election as helpful toward their goal of burying the prospect of a palestinian state. on wednesday, israeli lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a bill that would retroactively legalize settlements built on private palestinian land in the west bank . the bill is intended to prevent the court-ordered demolition of an illegal outpost by dec. 25. prime minister benjamin netanyahu opposes the bill and attorney general avichai mandelblit has said it violates international law . still, the fact that it cleared a major hurdle represents an alarming gain for pro-settlement israelis. education minister naftali bennett, who heads the jewish home party, the most ardent supporter of settlements, proclaimed that <u+201c>the era of the palestinian state is over.<u+201d> this is at odds with the israeli government<u+2019>s official position, which holds out hope for a two-state solution <u+2014> an outcome washington has sought to broker for decades. on wednesday, israel <u+2019>s defense minister, avigdor lieberman, said that the government should strike a deal with the trump administration to authorize expanded construction in the major west bank settlements. any move in that direction would be misguided and dangerous for the united states. <u+201c>one of the most effective ways that isis and other terrorist groups have attracted recruits is by tarring the united states with israel<u+2019>s expanding occupation of the west bank,<u+201d> senator patrick leahy of vermont said in a statement. <u+201c>this legislation to retroactively legalize illegal settlements will be welcomed by those murderous groups as further evidence that america<u+2019>s closest ally in the region is bent on destroying a peaceful solution, including the possibility of a palestinian state.<u+201d> pro-settlement israelis were particularly heartened by an interview jason greenblatt, a foreign policy adviser to mr. trump, gave to israel<u+2019>s army radio after the election, in which he said mr. trump did not view the settlements as <u+201c>an obstacle for peace.<u+201d> mr. trump<u+2019>s personal views on the settlements are unclear. he recently told the wall street journal that he aspired to broker the <u+201c>ultimate deal,<u+201d> to bring an end to the conflict between israel and palestinians, <u+201c>for humanity<u+2019>s sake.<u+201d> if that is indeed his aspiration, he should immediately signal to the israelis <u+2014> not to mention his advisers <u+2014> that he will need time and consultation to develop a coherent policy on the region. absent such a signal, the right wing in israel will be further encouraged to forge ahead with a new and dangerous expansion of settlements. follow the new york times opinion section on facebook and twitter (@nytopinion), and sign up for the opinion today newsletter . a version of this editorial appears in print on november 17, 2016, on page a30 of the new york edition with the headline: israel<u+2019>s alarming settlement bill. today's paper | subscribe
israel<u+2019>s alarming settlement bill
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