On Monday 7th January, the Israeli Central Command Chief, Nitzan Alon, ordered legalization of two settlement outposts in central West Bank, raising the number of settlements in the Shomron Regional Council to 32 settlements. The official website of the Regional Council published that Yesh Din Israeli human rights group submitted an appeal to the High Supreme Court to prevent the recognition of the settlement outposts that were constructed on a Palestinian private land. Yet, the Israeli government has decided recently to recognize the Rahlim illegal settlement, southeast of Nablus after two outposts were merged into one settlement, and recognized by the Israeli Army Chief. Mayor of Shomron Regional Council, Gershon Mesikha, said that legalizing the settlement of Rahlim is a triumph over the Left and a triumph over racism.