THE Israeli Government has told a court that it does not want to reveal the true extent of Jewish settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories because the information would damage its image abroad, a local newspaper has reported.

[ ….. ]

The Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz said the Israeli Defence Ministry, which rules the Arab territories seized by Israel in 1967, is resisting a petition from two Israeli rights groups for the publication of an official report showing the extent of settlement is greater than Israel has previously admitted.

The newspaper said that the report showed both veteran settlements and newer “outposts” had been built extensively without legal permits on land deemed as state land by the Israeli military courts and on the private property of local Palestinians.

Last week the Government asked the Israeli High Court to ban the publication of the report “for fear of harming state security and foreign relations”.

(emphasis mine)

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That line has a fairly familiar ring to it….. I’m sure I’ve heard something like that out of some other [supposedly] civilized country about its’ abuses.