No one in the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was surprised by the Knesset’s Dec. 5 preliminary approval of the proposed legislation known as the regularization bill, legalizing wildcat West Bank settlements — which would allow Israel to take control of private Palestinian lands.

For many months the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been closely following the convoluted progress of the proposed bill in its various incarnations, and while publicly condemning it, they understood that if OK'd by Israeli lawmakers, the “parody bill” — as they’ve dubbed it — has an upside.

The “whitewashing” of unauthorized settlements established on private Palestinian land — after paying compensation to the Palestinian landowners — would be a de facto declaration of war by Israel and generate widespread Palestinian unrest. On the other hand, the Palestinians would be handed what they call a “smoking gun” on a silver platter: ultimate proof that Israel is intent on annexing the occupied territories and not on peacefully resolving its conflict with the Palestinians anytime in the foreseeable future.

Final passage of the bill would also likely result in an overwhelming, forceful eruption of international public opinion against Israel’s expansion policies. A Nov. 29 Peace Now report says such a law would retroactively validate some 4,000 structures built on private Palestinian land. Of these, 2,744 are permanent structures and 1,177 are mobile homes and prefabs. According to the report, 3,125 of these are located in settlements, and almost 800 in illegally erected outposts. According to the Peace Now data, the law would concern 72 settlements and legalize 55 outposts. In all, the law would enable the legal expropriation of some 8,000 dunams (3 square miles).