Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu halted the legislative process of a controversial bill seeking to extend direct Israeli civilian control over antiquities in the West Bank and Gaza, an unnamed source from the coalition told the Haaretz news outlet on Tuesday.

The bill, which aimed to establish a “Judea, Samaria and Gaza Heritage Authority” under the Heritage Ministry, was widely seen as a step toward annexation of the disputed territories, with sponsors of the bill openly naming that as one of its goals.

The Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee had scheduled a meeting Tuesday morning to vote on amendments to the bill as part of the work to prepare it for its final readings in the plenum, but the meeting was canceled shortly before it started.

A new meeting on the bill had not been scheduled as of Tuesday evening, though this is not out of the ordinary, as usually the committee’s schedule for the following week is published on Wednesdays and is always subject to change, even at the last minute.

The Israel Defense Forces has officially stated its opposition to the proposal, and the committee’s legal adviser........

© The Times of Israel