Israeli lawmakers took a further step Wednesday toward legalizing thousands of settler homes built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank, approving the first reading of the controversial Regulation Bill in a late night vote that followed a five-hour Knesset debate, Times of Israeli reported.

MKs voted by 58 to 51 in favor of the bill, which was both praised by supporters and castigated by opponents during the plenary session as the first step towards full Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

Following a raucous preliminary vote on Monday that saw legislators screaming and ripping up copies of the proposed law, Wednesday’s debate was, for the most part, a comparatively subdued event.

Source: MENA