The Italian government has rejected the appointment of the former mayor of an Israeli settlement in the West Bank to be Israel's new ambassador to Rome, the Times of Israel newspaper reported on Thursday (7).
A source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the newspaper that Benny Kashriel, former mayor of the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, had his name vetoed because the Italian government did not want an ambassador who had been mayor of an Israeli settlement in the territory, governed in part by the Palestinian Authority.
Also important was the fact that Kashriel presided over the Yesha Council, the main political arm of the Israeli settlement movement in the West Bank.
According to the Times of Israel, he will now be sent to Hungary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking for a career diplomat for the position in Rome.
The expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is a point of contention between Israel and its allies in the West, who argue that the move complicates the two-state solution in the region.
Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this policy is “inconsistent with international law”.
“Our administration remains firmly opposed to settlement expansion and, in our view, this only weakens, not strengthens, Israel’s security,” Blinken said.
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