Overview
- Bennett said on Monday evening that he supports legal construction on Israeli state land in Area C but that building outside Area C or on private Palestinian land is illegal and will be removed.
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and senior settler leaders immediately accused Bennett of planning evacuations and of enabling a Palestinian autonomy they described as a security threat.
- Other right‑wing ministers and Likud members called for applying Israeli sovereignty across the West Bank and for canceling the Oslo Accords in response to Bennett’s formulation of Areas A and B as Palestinian autonomy.
- Bennett publicly pushed back the next day, repeating that he opposes a Palestinian state, supports rule of law on property rights, and favors expanding lawful communities in Area C.
- The dispute turns on the legal distinction between Area C and Areas A/B and is now shaping political messaging and coalition bargaining over settlement enforcement, sovereignty moves, and potential evacuations.